Sixteen Candles
by Polme Black
Summary: What if you were granted one wish - anything you wanted, with no strings attached? On his sixteenth birthday, Harry is sent to a world where the lives of his parents are very much a reality.
1. Default Chapter

**Sixteen Candles **_  
__  
__What if__ you were granted one wish - anything you wanted, with no strings attached? On his sixteenth birthday, Harry is transferred to a world he has always dreamed of; a world where the lives of his parents are very much a reality. He doesn't know how and he doesn't know why, all he knows is that things finally start to make sense once more._  
  
**PG-13**  
  
This is a repost of Sixteen Candles under a different screen name - I'm not about to risk my other stories because of an idiot flamer.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
If there's one thing I believe, it's life can and most definitely will screw you over every possible chance it gets. Of course, it's often said people only remember those particular instances instead of seeing the blessings that surround them on a daily basis. I shouldn't be one to talk – I had the two best friends a guy could ever ask for, fame, money, a godfather who would kill for me (mind you, he never has), even my own bloody Chocolate Frog Card. What more could I have ever, in my wildest dreams, asked for?  
  
No one, not once, had ever asked me what I wish for most; I suppose they believed there isn't anything I don't have that I could ever possibly want.  
  
Needless to say, they were wrong.  
  
If asked, I would know exactly what my wish would be; I grew up in a cupboard under a flight of stairs, alone in the dork with only spiders and my thoughts to keep me company. Sure, I had family – an aunt who thought I was the worst thing to ever happen in her perfectly normal life, an uncle who thought me a wart on an otherwise unblemished chin, and a cousin who very simply hated me. They were nothing like the family I had once had, before I was orphaned at the age of one; a mother and father who had died to protect me. I was once loved – I wanted that back.  
  
After I came to Hogwarts, I was forced into the spotlight; I had gone from Harry Potter, freak of nature and lonely boy, to Harry Potter, a hero's hero and the Boy Who Lived. I was never Just Harry, which was all I really wanted to be.  
  
If I was ever asked what my greatest wish was, I'd know it would be normalcy; to have a mother, to have a father, but most of all, to simply be loved.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The last rays of the dying sun filtered through the west window into the cozy kitchen inside the Burrow, which was currently occupied by nine Weasleys, Hermione Granger, and myself. A gigantic chocolate layered cake was placed in front of me, sixteen candles glowing merrily and protruding proudly out of the sticky vanilla frosting. They had been provided by Fred and George, the Weasley twins who had a reputation for tricks and practical jokes of all sorts. I had been wary of the candles before George tested one out himself, proving to me they were sage and trick-free.  
  
On either side of me were my two best friends – Ron Weasley and Hermione. Lined up and down the picnic style table was the rest of the redheaded Weasley clan, each looking at me with great anticipation.  
  
"Blow out your candles and make a wish, Harry!" Ron urged, his eyes shinning with excitement. "Make a wish – go on!"  
  
I grinned towards him, taking in a deep breath at the same time. Facing the large cake with its sixteen glowing candles, I exhaled slowly, making sure to get each and every one of them and at the same time, making the one wish I allowed myself each year.   
  
Call me cheesy, call me naïve, call me weak, but there was really only one thing I could ever imagine myself wishing for that wasn't for the greater good. It was what I wished for every year, with or without a birthday cake and candles – which, by the way, my aunt and uncle never bothered providing me with. It had been the one hope I had as a child, locked away in the cupboard and denied freedom and basic human rights I had always been entitled to.  
  
I wished my parents were still alive.  
  
As soon as I thought the last word, my world melted before my eyes, black absorbing the colours until all that was left was complete nothingness.  
  
Before I had a chance to think, breathe, or anything else for that matter, I felt a strong pair of arms wrap themselves around me. As the world around me slipped back into focus, I momentarily thought it was perhaps Hermione or Mrs. Weasley who had embraced me, until I looked into a pair of eyes that so resembled mine – the same glint, the same warmth, and the exact same shade of emerald I had seen each and every time I bothered to glance at myself in a mirror.  
  
"Happy Birthday, son!"  
  



	2. Chapter Two

**Sixteen Candles - Chapter Two**  
  
I blinked, completely speechless as I took in my surroundings. On my right, facing me with a warm, radiant smile, was my mother – the same mother who had died fifteen years previous. I turned my head slightly, eyes locking on a man I never dreamt I'd see again. Messy black hair atop a smiling face, blue eyes meeting my gaze…  
  
My father.  
  
The sun, as low as it had been a the Weasleys, was weakly streaming though the panes of glass nearly ten feet long and eight feet high, facing out into the large garden in the back of the house. The light was streaming into the large, homey dinning room decorated with scarlet and silver streamers.  
  
I looked back at my mother, hardly daring to believe she was standing right in front of me. Was I dreaming? I had to be – there was no other possible explanation for what was going on.  
  
"Which piece would you like, Harry?" The throaty sound of my father's voice made me jump. I looked down at the bright red cake blankly, shrugging an answer as his question registered in my mind.  
  
"The biggest it is!" he exclaimed, scooping up a large piece onto the navy plate set in front of me. I was too shocked to thank him; instead, I reached out tentatively and touched my father's arm gently, making sure he was solid.  
  
He gazed at me curiously as I repeated the process with my Mum, who gave me a concerned look before speaking.  
  
"Harry, darling, are you all right?"  
  
Her green eyes, so like mine, seemed to examine my ever facial feature closely before she set one pale hand over my own.  
  
"You didn't have another vision, did you?"  
  
_ Vision? What the hell was going on?_  
  
I shook my head, blinking rapidly for a few seconds, attempting desperately to clear my head.  
  
"No, I'm sorry, I just…"  
  
My voice failed me once again as I tried to explain myself, edging away from both of their concerned stares.  
  
"Here, have some cake," my father held up a silver fork and placed it in my right hand. "Eating always makes you feel better after those godforsaken things…"  
  
"James!" Mum scolded gently, helping herself a slice of what I assumed to be strawberry or perhaps cherry cake while handing my father one as well. "Do you want to tell us about it?"  
  
I shook my head once again, unable to believe the fact I was talking to my parents… Conversing with them as if they had always been alive.  
  
"What… Why… how are you here?" I stuttered stupidly, eyes dancing back and forth between the two of them.  
  
Both gave me a startled look, but in barely a moment's time they were both replaced with looks of understanding. My mum set her hand on my shoulder this time, a small smile showing off her white teeth.  
  
"I know what's going on… Madame Pomfrey warned us about this."  
  
She kneeled down to my level, eyes searching my own for something she seemed not able to find.  
  
"Do you know who we are?"  
  
I nodded carefully, "Of course, you're my parents. But…"  
  
Mum and Dad waited for a response, but when it became apparent I wasn't going to produce one, Dad reached over and squeezed my hand.  
  
"But what, Harry?"  
  
I gulped, my eyes once again darting back and forth from Mum to Dad.  
  
"But you're dead."  
  
Before either of them had a chance to reply, a loud knocking sound came from a few rooms over. Mum glanced at me and then over to my father, excusing herself to answer the door. Silently, I wondered who it could possibly be before I remembered I probably didn't know the person – who was to say how much had gone on during those fifteen years between the time my parents were killed to now?  
  
My question was answered, however, within ten seconds as a big, booming voice filled what I assumed to be the entrance hall, filtering into the dinning room, bidding Mum good evening.  
  
It was Sirius.  
  
  



	3. Chapter Three

**Sixteen Candles - Chapter Three**  
  
  
  
  
In a matter of seconds, I was standing beside my mother as she started to lead Sirius to the kitchen. I gaped at him openly, amazed at the differences; the last time I had seen Sirius, he was still thin, gaunt, and pale from his years in Azkaban. His face was now filled out, a handsome smile upon it, and his hair was cut slightly below his ears. He was tan and held a carefree attitude I couldn't ever imagine him having.  
  
"Harry, old boy! Sixteen now, eh? Congratulations!"  
  
He put one strong hand on my shoulder, squeezing it tightly, his eyes lighting up as they met mine. He steered me through the corridors and we reappeared in the dinning room, where my father was waiting expectantly.  
  
"Sirius, how are you?" he stood up and embraced Sirius in a flurry of movement, a large grin on his face. "Is Remus planning on making an appearance as well, do you know?"  
  
I looked back at Sirius, who nodded, "Yes, of course. I don't think he'd miss this for the world."  
  
I looked from my father to Sirius to my mother and back again, slightly bewildered on what exactly was going on. Mum noticed this and placed her arm around my shoulders, contact I wasn't quite used to. I started to move away but she simply increased her grip, holding me tightly to her side.  
  
"Sirius, just a bit of a warning, Harry had one of his flashes again." Said Mum quietly.  
  
Gee, thanks Mum. Make me look like a fool in front of my Godfather.  
  
_ What was I thinking?_  
  
"He seems to think we're dead." Dad added, and Sirius got a strange look on his face.  
  
"So, Harry, how did we die this time?" he asked, stooping down slightly so he was at my level. I shook my head, backing away slightly.  
  
"You weren't."  
  
Sirius cocked his head, black eyes staring straight into mine. "I wasn't?"  
  
"No," I answered after a moment, "You're a fugitive."  
  
Without warning, he threw his head back and burst out laughing. Turning towards my father, who was also chuckling loudly, he stood up and rocked lightly back and forth on his heels.  
  
"What did I do to get into Azkaban?" he was still grinning, a childish look on his rugged face.  
  
"You…" My voice faltered. How was I supposed to tell him he had been wrongly accused for the death of the two people standing next to him? I supposed he wouldn't take it too well, but I took a deep breath anyway and proceeded to speak.  
  
"You were blamed for killing Peter Pettigrew, twelve Muggles, and for giving Voldemort my parents' location before he murdered them."  
  
If it hadn't of been such a serious situation, I would have laughed at the expressions the three adults standing around me were making. Mum and Dad looked shocked while Sirius looked positively dumbstruck.   
  
"You're kidding, right?" Dad finally spoke, glancing over at Sirius and Mum before looking down at me once more.  
  
I shook my head weakly, "No, but Sirius… you were innocent. Pettigrew ended up being Mum and Dad's secret keeper and he told Voldemort and killed all those people. He chopped off his finger before he did so, making it look like you killed him as well, when really he just turned into a rat and disappeared down the sewer."  
  
There was silence for what seemed like forever, until finally another knock sounded from the foyer. Numbly, Mum went to answer it once more, leaving the three of us alone.  
  
"You… you can't remember anything except for that?" Dad asked quietly, blue eyes searching me carefully. "In this vision – this dream – we're dead?"  
  
I nodded, "I… Do I have these things often?"  
  
Dad shook his head, "No, maybe once or twice a year. This is the first time your mother and I have been dead though… You can't remember anything? You don't recognize anything?"  
  
I shook my head, "Sorry."  
  
"But you know me as your father?" he asked quietly, "You know Sirius… You know your Mum… Do you know Remus?"  
  
"Remus?" I asked curiously. "Who's he?"  
  
My question was answered for me, however, as Professor Lupin walked into the room. A flash suddenly went through my mind as I saw Ron, Hermione, and Lupin in the train compartment on the way to Hogwarts my third year.  
_  
__ Professor R. J. Lupin._  
  
And in the Shrieking Shack… Hadn't Sirius referred to Professor Lupin as 'Remus'?   
  
"Harry, Happy Birthday!" Professor Lupin smiled, "I hear you've had another one of those visions?"  
  
I nodded, "Professor Lupin?"  
  
He smirked, "Professor, eh? That'll be the day."  
  
"Harry was just explaining to us how Sirius was imprisoned for killing Peter and twelve Muggles… and for helping to kill Lily and I." said Dad, his voice going back to normal. "Apparently, Sirius was innocent – it was Peter. Could you ever imagine him doing such a thing? Really, Harry. Peter turning into a rat as well – "  
  
"He was an Animagus," I interrupted. "So you were and Sirius."  
  
Remus stepped forward, "And I wasn't?"  
  
A strange feeling settled in the pit of my stomach; another memory came flashing into my mind as I looked up at the face of a very happy looking Remus Lupin.  
_  
__ "None of this couldn't have happened if I hadn't bitten… and if I hadn't been so foolhardy…"__  
_  
Oh, God.  
  



	4. Chapter Four

**Sixteen Candles : Chapter Four**  
  
  
  
  
I took a deep breath, looking each of the four adults in the eye in turn.  
  
"No, you were a werewolf."  
  
Remus looked only mildly surprised, "Was I then? James is right, son – your visions are getting a bit strange."  
  
"So… so none of that happened?" I turned towards Sirius, "Are you still my Godfather?"  
  
His tense features relaxed, "Of course, Harry. Do you really think things have changed that much?"  
  
I shook my head slowly, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. This time… this place… was completely different from the one I knew. Mum and Dad, they were alive, but how? Why was I here? I had made this wish – the wish for my parents to be alive – every single year since I could first grasp the concept, so why now? What was so different?  
  
My eyes wandered over the features of the four adults, taking them in. Everything was different: Mum and Dad were alive, Sirius was happy, and Remus was _human_. My father, mother, and their friends…  
  
_Wormtail._  
  
"Pettigrew? Peter Pettigrew?" I blurted out, eyes widening. Sirius seemed to get the gist of things before Dad, and he shook his head furiously.  
  
"No, no, no Harry… Peter's a good guy in this world, don't you dare think otherwise."  
As if on cue, there was another knock on the door. Mum sighed and ran to get it, while I faced the three men in front of me and tried desperately to calm myself down. Who's to say Wormtail wasn't planning on hurting my Mum and Dad?   
  
There was one question I hadn't asked, one question that hadn't been hinted towards, and one question that was vital to this world.  
  
"Dad?" I asked quietly, shuddering at the sound of Pettigrew's voice at the door. "Does Voldemort exist in this world?"  
  
Dad, Remus, and Sirius all got a rather laxed look on their face, as if reliving a memory. It was Remus who spoke first, the soft voice I had come to recognize throughout my third year speaking to me as if I was a two year old child.  
  
"Yes Harry, and he was a very dangerous man."  
  
I cocked my head to the side, "What happened to him?"  
  
Dad stepped forward, dropping down four inches to my level, "He was after us for a very long time, and we did end up using the Fidelius Charm – Peter was our secret keeper, but that's where the similarities end. He was captured by Death Eaters only a week after the charm was performed and put under the Imperious curse and forced to speak."  
  
He took in a deep breath as Pettigrew walked in, and I back away as far as I could from the plump, balding man. Pettigrew noticed this and glanced at me with a look of utter surprise, while my mother took him aside and explained the situation.  
  
"Instead of coming directly to the home, Voldemort staked out nearby and waited until your mother had taken you to the market one afternoon. He – he took you from her and attempted to kill you, but something stopped him. That – " he nodded towards my forehead, " – is why you have that scar."  
  
Involuntarily, my hand went up to the familiar spot on my forehead where my scar was placed.   
  
"So… everything's ok in this world?" I asked slowly, "No Voldemort, Sirius isn't in Azkaban, Professor… you're not a werewolf?"  
  
All three shook their heads, "No."  
  
I nodded, sucking in my breath and slowly turning over to face Peter Pettigrew. "And you're not a Death Eater?"  
  
Peter's eyes widened, "Of course not! Where on Earth would you get that idea, Harry?"  
  
I took a step forward, my eyes narrowing. "Let me see your arm."  
  
His mouth dropped open, "You're kidding? Harry… you know me! You know I'd never join the Death Eaters!"  
  
I crossed my arms, "No, I don't know. I remember you in a world where you were a Death Eater and where you gave your right hand for Voldemort – quite literally, I assure you – and didn't second guess yourself in the least. You gave my parents to Voldemort, you blamed my Godfather, and ran like the coward you are – "  
  
"Harry!" said Mum sharply, "That's quite enough!"  
  
"Sorry, Mum." I said quietly, eyes still locked on Pettigrew. "Please, humour me and show me your arm."  
  
With a sigh, he reached for the right sleeve of his robe and lifted it upwards, exposing the clean, bare flesh. I nodded, briefly glancing at it, and then looked up at him, my expression set in stone.  
  
"Nice. Now, if you don't mind, show me the correct arm."  
  



	5. Chapter Five

**Sixteen Candles**  
  
  
  
  
The last rays of the evening sun shined brightly into the elegant dinning room as Peter Pettigrew lifted up his left sleeve, quite aware of the pairs of eyes locked onto the section of his forearm where the Dark Mark would be –  
  
If it had been the world I lived in.  
  
The skin across his pale flesh was smooth and unblemished, save a tiny mole protruding near the crook of his elbow. I breathed a sigh of relief, stepping back from the nervous man and looking up at the rest of the adults in the room.  
  
"I'm sorry," I sighed, "I just had to make sure."  
  
"It's ok," said Mum quietly, "Listen, why don't we all go sit down and talk about this? It's obviously gotten to you so much that you can't remember anything that's happened… can you?"  
  
I shook my head wearily, allowing her to steer me into a large living room, complete with three large couches and a huge fireplace. I sat down on one, her sitting down in the spot next to me, while Sirius and Dad took another, leaving Remus and Peter to the last one.  
  
"Now… Are you quite sure this is all unfamiliar?" Dad motioned to the many pictures lining the walls – pictures of my family, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, all of us smiling and waving in various settings.  
  
I stared, open mouthed, at them for quite some time before Mum gently touched my arm, bringing me back down to reality. It was amazing; my whole life was laid out on these walls, yet I couldn't remember a thing.  
  
What if my life with the Dursleys was all a dream? What if this was my real life? Why couldn't I remember anything through? Surely this wasn't anything Voldemort would do to try to get rid of me; he'd rather torture me than send me to a place where I was happy and comfortable, surrounded by people I loved.  
  
"Nothing," I shook my head. "It's as life I'm looking at the life of someone who looks exactly like me…"  
  
Dad nodded, "Well, tell us about your dream then. What happened in it? None of the Voldemort stuff, but… Who did you live with? What happened? Who were your friends?"  
  
I took in a deep breath, my mind fishing around for somewhere to begin.  
  
"I lived in a cupboard under a staircase for the first eleven years of my life, save the year I was with you two," I began, my eyes unfocusing as I relived my childhood in my mind. "I lived with Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley, my cousin… they were awful, I hated them with every bone in my body. They didn't like me much either, I suppose…"  
  
I went on to tell them all about how Hagrid came to get me, the day I found out I was a wizard, and when I came to Hogwarts, I started to mention my friends.  
  
"Ron Weasley, he was the first person I met on the train. We're best friends, the last thing I can remember is my birthday party over at the Burrow – that's the Weasley's home."  
  
Mum nodded, "Yes, you are friends with Ron. I wouldn't say best friends, perhaps, but friends none the less."  
  
I blinked, surprised a bit by the news Ron and I weren't as good of friends as we were in the world I knew.  
  
"Well, Hermione Granger's another good friend of mine – she and Ron were dating, actually." I smiled at the memory; they bickered constantly, but she and Ron really did care for one another, no matter how stubborn both were.  
  
"Yes, Hermione, of course," Dad smiled this time, "She's your girlfriend in this world, Harry."  
  
If my eyes had opened any wider, my eyeballs would be falling out of their sockets.  
  
"You're _joking__!_" I exclaimed, leaning forward, "How on Earth did that happen?"  
  
Dad shrugged, "No clue, really. You'll have to ask her."  
  
I nodded, regaining composure and leaning back once more, "Well, that's quite a surprise. Are there any other friends I need to know about? If Ron isn't my best friend, who is?"  
  
Sirius took this opportunity to lean forward and grin, his hair falling into his eyes as he locked eyes with me.  
  
"Your best friend? That's a silly question, Harry. Draco Malfoy, of course!"  
  



	6. Chapter Six

**Sixteen Candles - Chapter Six**  
  
  
  
  
My eyes widened and throat constricted as I looked over at Sirius, who was smiling as if nothing was the matter.  
  
_ Draco… Malfoy?__  
__  
__ Shit._  
  
"I'm… in Gryffindor, right?" I asked slowly, suddenly realizing perhaps, in this life, I had allowed the hat to put me into Slytherin.  
  
Dad got a strange look on his face as he leaned forward and nodded, "Of course, Harry. Where else would you be?"  
  
I sighed with relief, "Good… For a moment there, I thought maybe I was in Slytherin, Draco Malfoy being my best friend and all… Are you sure that wasn't a joke?"  
  
"Harry," said Remus quietly, "Why would you be in Slytherin to be best friends with Draco?"  
  
I blinked, staring at his confused face, before realization hit.  
  
"Malfoy's a _Gryffindor_?!"  
  
_ This was too good…_  
  
Mum nodded, "Of course. It was unexpected, but I'm assuming having Draco's mother raise him…"  
  
"What happened to his father?" I asked, sensing this was a fairly touchy subject.  
  
"Lucius Malfoy was killed right before Voldemort's downfall," said Mum quietly, "Despite his being a Death Eater, he was a friend."  
  
"We're friends with the Malfoys?" I asked curiously, "How did that happen? Mr. Malfoy hated me, from what I can remember."  
  
"Lucius was a friend of mine at Hogwarts," Mum answered, "He and Severus looked after me as if I was being hunted constantly."  
  
My mouth dropped open, "Severus… _SNAPE_?"  
  
All four adults gave me a curious look, "Yes, Severus Snape… Why?" Mum asked.  
  
I gaped at them all for a good ten seconds before speaking once more, "It's just that… He… He's a professor, and he's awful to my friends and I."  
  
Mum smiled, "Of course dear, I'm sorry. He's a perfect gentleman, I can assure you."  
  
"Has anyone thought of exactly how strange this is?" said Sirius suddenly, "It's as if Harry's just been replaced… And how everyone's taking this… I knew he was having flashes and dreams, but I never knew he'd lost his memory."  
  
"Once," said Dad quietly, "About three years ago. Couldn't remember anything for weeks – don't you remember, Sirius? We had to explain everything to him."  
  
"Yes, of course, but I think what Sirius is trying to say… He didn't think he belonged to another world then, did he?" Remus asked, speaking as if I wasn't there at all.  
  
"He had no idea he was magical," Dad answered, his voice just above a whisper. "Lily and I had to explain everything – at least this time he knows who everyone is."  
  
"This has happened before?" I asked, partially relieved that perhaps I wasn't crazy. I was sure I hadn't dreamed or imagined Hogwarts as I knew it - there were too many details, too many threads and relationships, questions that went unanswered.  
  
_So how did I end up here?__  
_  
"Yes, right in the middle of Transfiguration as well – Professor McGonagall nearly threw a fit. Made your mum come and get you herself instead of having you taken down to the hospital wing." Dad explained.  
  
"I'm a professor," Mum clarified Dad's response, "Charms, in fact."  
  
"What happened to Professor Flitwick?" I asked cautiously.  
  
"Retired the year after you were born," Mum answered cheerfully, "Still comes around now and again though, to check up on things."  
  
"Ok, I can understand that…" I nodded, looking down at my hands and then back up into my Mum's hopefully face. "If you're a teacher, Mum… Dad, what do you do for a living?"  
  
Dad's face exploded into a smile, "Guess."  
  
I thought for a moment, running through the few Wizarding jobs I knew, "Auror? Professor? Shopkeeper? Ministry official?"  
  
Dad's grin grew wider, "Minister of Magic."  
  
_ Bloody hell!_  
  
"You're kidding?!" I exclaimed, eyes widening. "So… so Fudge is gone?"  
  
Dad nodded, "Retired about eight months ago. Ron Weasley's father is my second in command – the only reason he didn't receive Ministership is because he insisted he didn't have nearly enough time, what with three children to raise."  
  
"Three?" I asked, after a quick mental count. "I know there's Ginny and Ron – the rest are all out of school, aren't they?"  
  
The room suddenly got very quiet and it took me a moment to get an answer.  
  
"Percy Weasley and his wife were killed shortly after their daughter, Zara, was born – she's almost a year old now, and Arthur and Molly are raising her."  
  
"Percy…" I started, confused, "Was married? At the age of Twenty?"  
  
"Immediately after he left Hogwarts, actually." Mum amended.  
  
"Wow…" I shook my head, "The Percy I know is still most definitely alive and kicking, and isn't married."  
  
Before anyone could reply, another knocking was heard on the door. Mum stood up and turned towards me, tilting her head slightly.  
  
"That would be Draco and Severus. Come with me, will you Harry?"  
  
I slowly stood up and followed her quietly, apprehensive about seeing one of my worst enemies and Potions Master as two long-time, trusted friends.   
  
Mum opened the door slowly, revealing a shock of silver hair a mere four centimeters below Professor Snape –  
  
_ Good Lord_.  
  
  



	7. Chapter Seven

**Sixteen Candles - Chapter Seven**  
  
  
  
Standing in front of Mum and I were two people I would have failed to recognize without prior knowledge to who they were. Draco's neat, silver – blonde hair was no longer short and molded, but just below his ears and loose. He wasn't the skinny, pale boy I knew him to be; instead, he was much tanner than I was used to seeing, and he boasted muscles twice the size of my own.  
  
… I think.  
  
_What did I look like, anyway?_  
  
Severus Snape was almost completely unrecognizable; his sallow, milky skin was replaced with a healthy, almost rugged complexion. Gone was the greasy long hair, with short clean instead. His eyes weren't filled with the loathing I knew so well, instead he seemed happy, almost overjoyed, to be standing here with the three of us.  
  
_What the hell happened?_  
  
"Harry!" Draco exclaimed, brushing past Mum to where I was standing and handed me a carefully wrapped scarlet package. "Happy Sixteenth!"  
  
I smiled and took the gift gratefully. Not knowing what else to do, I simply nodded and thanked him.  
  
Mum sensed how uncomfortable I was and quickly ushered the three of us into the living room, allowing me to sit down once more and try to clear my mind.  
  
"Severus," Mum said quietly, "Draco… There's something we need to explain."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"So you really can't remember anything then?"  
  
It was half an hour later, and while the adults conversed in the dinning room trying to figure out what may have happened, Draco and I sat across from each other and talked.  
  
"I can remember everyone…" I paused, trying to figure out how to phrase what I was about to say. "It's just that everything and everyone's different, that's all. It's as if I'm in a strange dream where everything is almost the complete opposite of what I know."  
  
Draco nodded, and then looked at me with a curious expression.  
  
"So what was I to you in this 'other world'?"  
  
I sighed, "I'm not going to lie to you and tell you we were best of friend, because we most certainly weren't. Rather, we disliked each other immensely – I'd even say on occasion, we hated each other."  
  
Draco grinned, "Sounds like us."  
  
I blinked, trying desperately to mask the astonished look that had just appeared on my face.  
  
"Sorry?"  
  
He grinned once more, "If we weren't best of friends, Harry, there's no doubt in my mind we'd hate each other."  
  
"Really?" I said quietly, "Well, that's quite the surprise."  
  
Draco leaned forward eagerly, his silver hair falling into his eyes, "So tell me about me in this other world. Was I handsome? Was I wonderfully kind to orphans? Did I torture small animals?"  
  
"Your father was alive," I all but whispered, "Alive and ready to kill me."  
  
Draco's mouth dropped open, "You're joking?"  
  
I shook my head, "No, I'm not. You look a whole lot different though, to answer your questions. Hair's a bit longer, you're not nearly as skinny and pale as you were. I'm not too sure about the whole torturing small animals bit, although it wouldn't surprise me. You weren't kind to me at all, and I am – was, sorry -- an orphan."  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow, "Your parents were dead? Sorry to hear that, really."  
  
It was amazing, the conversations Draco and I could have when we weren't trying to gauge each other's eyes out.  
  
I shrugged, "I never knew them, really. Voldemort killed them on Halloween, 1981 – I was just a baby. When he tried to kill me, the spell reflected back onto him and killed his body, leaving me with this."  
  
I raised my hand to my forehead expectantly, running the tips of my fingers over the place my scar resided…  
  
…and all of the sudden, I realized something.  
  
_There was no scar.__  
_  
  



	8. Chapter Eight

**Sixteen Candles **  
  
  
  
  
I brought my hand back down to inspect it, bewildered as to what had happened to the scar I had felt no less than an hour again.  
  
"My…" I shook my head, readjusting my glasses, "…scar's gone."  
  
"Your what?" asked Draco, his face showing a look of utter confusion.  
  
"My scar," I said once again, "The one on my forehead. From Voldemort? It was just there… I was talking to Dad, and…"  
  
Draco shook his head, "You're bloody insane sometimes, Harry."  
  
Before he could say another word, I jumped up and ran down the hallway to my left, stopping suddenly in front of a random door. I opened it curiously, and lo and behold, it was a toilet.  
  
I quickly flicked on the lights - _Muggle Electricity? What?_ - and saw, for the first time, my image as it would have been, had my parents survived.  
  
My hair was no longer shaggy, but cut into an almost tidy trim. Instead of the short height I was used to, I was now nearing two meters tall. My frame was built almost exactly as Draco's was – strong and muscular.  
  
_ What the hell?__  
_  
For the first time in my life that I could remember, my scar wasn't there. I had a smooth, clean forehead, something I didn't have a half hour ago. As I stood there, staring into the mirror at myself, I caught a flash of light out of the corner of my eye, where the door was.   
  
I turned around, revealing Draco standing there, arms crossed and a smirk on his face.  
  
"I look completely different," I said quietly, "And my scar's gone."  
  
He shrugged, "You look the same to me… and for the last time, the only scar you have is in your head, not on it."  
  
I looked at him curiously, "What do you mean, in my head?"  
  
He raised an eyebrow, "Harry, the only reason no one's surprised about this whole thing is because it's happened before. You tend to go mental, occasionally, and it's really nothing new. No one's really sure why, you've been to countless doctors and such, but the only thing they seem to come up with is that the Voldemort attack you survived must have done something to your mind. You have more dreams than anyone I know, and the strange thing is, a lot of them come true."  
  
I thought about this for a moment, "Couldn't I just be a Seer or something?"  
  
Draco smirked once more, "Honestly, Harry. Would you want to be one?"  
  
I shrugged, "It'd explain a whole lot… even in the life I can remember, I saw things in my dreams – especially things about Voldemort – that came true."  
  
"Voldemort?" Draco asked, "Isn't he dead?"  
  
I shook my head, "Not in my world."  
  
"This is your world, Harry." Draco corrected me, "It'll just take you a while to remember, that's all."  
  
I sighed, "It's like I've been transported into another universe – everyone's so different, it amazes me. I have parents though, and I don't fancy having to let them go anytime soon."  
  
"I understand Harry, really I do," Draco started, "But I can't put myself in your shoes – I don't know a lot of the things you know. I don't see what you see, and I certainly don't see or know about this life you're talking about. I've known you for my entire life, Harry, and all I see is Harry Potter, my best friend."  
  
I cocked my head slightly, leaning against the counter in front of the mirror, "You're really very different from the Draco Malfoy I'm used to. You're much more… Gryffindor, really."  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow, "And what's that supposed to mean?"  
  
I grinned – my first, real grin since the Weasley's – and smirked, "You were a Slytherin, Draco. Surprise."  
  
He laughed, "Now I _KNOW _you must have been dreaming – me, a Slytherin? Yeah, I'm about as Slytherin as you are, Potter."  
  
I shook my head, "This is going to take quite a bit of getting used to."  
  
He shrugged, "Might as well start now. Sorry to say Ron and Hermione aren't going to be coming over today, but they'll be here tomorrow. You may be able to get a few more answers out of them as well."  
  
"Tomorrow?" I sighed, "But that's an entire day away…"  
  



	9. Chapter Nine

**Sixteen Candles, Chapter Nine**  
  
  
  
That night, after everyone left, Mum and Dad allowed me to go into my bedroom – my real, own bedroom that wasn't full of Dudley's old things – and go to bed, as they were convinced it would help me sort things out.  
  
Mum told me which room was mine (second on the left) and after I opened the wooden door, my mouth dropped only.  
  
I had to be an only child.  
  
On the walls, different Quidditch posters was tacked up, the players smiling and waving towards me. There was a huge canopy bed stationed in the middle, the headboard pushed up against the far wall. Scarlet draping hung from the wooden posts, while the emerald carpet was covered with clothes, trinkets, and paper.   
  
There was a large wooden desk pushed up against the wall to my left and a dressed pushed up against it with a mirror hanging off the wall in front of it. The desk was covered with books and paper, picture frames covering the edges as well. A closet was off to my right, holding (from what I could tell) a broom – a Firebolt, perhaps? – Quidditch robes – scarlet and gold, I must have been on the House team – more books, and different coloured robes and Muggle clothes.  
  
My eyes were wide with amazement as I sat down on my bed and simply stared at everything for nearly ten minutes, hardly daring to believe this was real.  
  
Which brought up another interesting question – was this real, or merely a dream? If so, was this the dream or was my other life – the life with the Dursleys – the dream? Everyone I knew seemed to be in this life, but they were all so different. Was a simple werewolf bite to blame for everything that had happened and gone wrong in my life, or were there some things different even I couldn't explain?  
  
And what about my scar?  
  
It had been there – it had to have been there, for Dad to comment on it like that – but as I took another look in the mirror, I was sure it wasn't there any longer.   
  
Everything was so wonderful, I didn't dare think it was real. How long would it be until I was back in my real life? Or – if this was real – how long would it take me to remember anything?  
  
I sighed to myself and crawled off the comfortable bed, sitting down on the chair in front of my desk and looking at it for the first time.  
  
Waving back at me were pictures of my family and I, Draco, Ron, and Hermione and I, both looking incredibly happy. There was a picture of the four of us – Draco, Ron, Hermione, and I – and as Hermione and I kissed in the photo, I noticed picture-Ron scowling slightly, while photo-Draco ignored the display completely.   
  
Draco avoiding public displays of affection was understandable, but Ron disapproving of it?  
  
Something was terribly wrong with that. Ron was the one constantly badgering me to get a girlfriend, while he and Hermione were so incredibly happy together…  
  
That had to be it. If Ron was so happy with Hermione in my real life, why wouldn't he be so happy with her in this one?   
  
I chuckled softly to myself as I continued staring at the picture, realization dawning on me.  
_  
__Ron was jealous._  
  
That would definitely make for an interesting friendship, I grinned, picking up a piece of parchment lying nearest to me.  
  
_ Dear Harry,_ it read, and I suddenly got a feeling of guilt for reading someone else's letters before I reasoned with myself, saying they were really my letters – I had just as much a right, if not more, to read them as anyone else.  
  
_ Hope you're having a lovely holiday. Happy Birthday! I don't care if it's not for another four days, I'm saying that now because I won't be able to see you on your birthday. Ron's coming down though, I'll send my present with him. Tell your Mum and Dad I said hello! I miss them terribly. __  
__  
__Zara's becoming quite a handful. Mum's still not able to take care of her too well without breaking down into tears because of Percy, so I'm stuck with her almost all the time this summer. Dad said Zara had to come into work with him a lot of the time because he was afraid to leave her alone with Mum. Somehow she blames Percy and Penelope's death on Zara, although I really don't see how the two are related. They may not be telling me something – that tends to happen a lot, as you know.__  
__  
__I'm sure I've bored you enough with my endless ramblings, so I'll let you go now. Happy sixteenth Birthday, Harry!__  
__  
__Love,__  
__  
__ Ginny_  
  
I set down the letter, eyebrow raised. I was friends – fairly good friends, it seemed – with Ginny Weasley in this life. I wasn't able to tell if she was as infatuated with me as she was before, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know, if truth be told.  
  
I didn't bother reading the rest of the papers scattered across my desk; instead, I trudged over to my bed and collapsed, wrapping the warm blankets around me and asleep less than ten seconds later.  
  



	10. Chapter Ten

**Sixteen Candles : Chapter Ten**  
  
  
  
The next morning, I awoke as sunlight coming from my window hit my face, forcing me to close my eyes the moment I tried to open them. Slowly, the memory of the day before seeped into my mind, and I quickly reasoned with myself, knowing it had to be a dream.  
  
_ Your parents are dead, Harry… No one's going to come and save you. Sirius is still a fugitive, you're at the Weasley's with Ron, and it's August 1st. Peter Pettigrew's a rat, Voldemort's threatening to take over the world, and you live with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.__  
__  
__ You KNOW nothing's going to change that… It was just a dream._  
  
A moment later, a sharp rap on the door jolted me out of my semi-conscious state and forced me to open my eyes, showing the lavish bedroom I was quite positive I had merely dreamed.  
  
"Harry, darling, it's time to get up! Breakfast in ten minutes, and your friends are coming over around eleven o'clock – be ready!"  
  
My heart started pumping hard and fast, as if it was trying to break free of the ribs confining the organ. Realization dawned on me as I took a closer look around the room and realized there was a small picture of Draco and I sitting on my desk.  
  
_ It wasn't a dream._  
  
I groped over to the right of me, where I knew my bed table to be, before I realized I was reaching out into thin air. With a smirk, I turned to the left and grabbed my now-silver framed spectacles, smiling as the room around me slipped into focus.  
  
I didn't wish to waste too much time simply staring at my belongings, so I dressed in haste, slipping on the same pair of trousers I wore the day before and dug around my wardrobe for a simple black shirt. Stepping over the mirror on the wall, I smiled to myself, excitement starting to take over my stomach.  
  
"Welcome to your life, Harry."  
  
Without a glace back, I dashed out of the room and down the hall, following a set of stairs down into another hall, and quickly found my way to the kitchen, where Mum was standing over a sizzling pan of bacon.  
  
"Good morning, Mum!" I smiled widely, walking over to her and kissing her cheek. She grinned and reached out to hug me, holding me a bit firmer than the night before.  
  
"I see you still haven't regain your memory," she commented, releasing me as the bacon began to sizzle more fiercely.   
  
I looked down at her – I was quite a few inches taller than her at this point – with a quizzical expression upon my face.  
  
"And how exactly did you know that?"  
  
She turned back towards me and smiled secretively, "I'm your mother, Harry, and for the past sixteen years you have never greeted a morning with a smile, nor have you ever kissed me on the cheek."  
  
I coloured slightly, "Oh, sorry."  
  
She waved her hand dismissively and grinned, "Don't worry about it. I rather like the change, to be honest. Now, go to the dinning room and I'll be right there with your breakfast."  
  
"Don't you need help?" I asked, motioning towards the three plates off on one of the counters, assumedly used for breakfast.   
  
She shook her head sadly, "Dear boy… I hate to think of what my sister and her dreaded husband must have planted into that mind of yours, what with all this volunteering to help."  
  
I blinked, rather startled, "Sorry?"  
  
She smiled once more and shook her head, "Go sit down, Harry, I'm sure I can manage."  
  
I obliged, moving into the dinning room where I had first started this life, where Dad was sitting, eyes glued to the Daily Prophet. He looked up when I walked into the room, however, and a smile broke the solemn look across his face.  
  
"Harry! Good morning, son. Sleep well?"  
  
"Good morning, Dad," I grinned and walked over to hug him – something he obviously wasn't used to. "I slept quite well, and yourself?"  
  
He clucked his tongue and shook his head, "That's a new answer – usually all I get is a grunt."  
  
I smiled and shrugged, "I seem to be doing a lot of things wrong this morning. I still haven't my memory, as I'm sure you've realized by now."  
  
He nodded, "Yes, I'm quite aware of that, but Harry, why so formal?"  
  
I shrugged, "Sorry, I didn't realize I was being so."  
  
He stared at me, leaning in a bit closer as if he had the intention to making sure I didn't smell like dung, "Yes… We are your parents, Harry, you don't have to mentally add a 'sir' and 'ma'am' to the end of each sentence."  
  
I grinned sheepishly, "I'll try harder in the future not to do so."  
  
He rolled his eyes in a humourous manner and threw up his hands, once of which still slung tightly to the Daily Prophet.  
  
"There you go again! We're going to have to do something about there abominable manners of yours, Son."  
  
I looked at him with an expression of mock horror, "Abominable?! I learned these manners at quite a young age, may I remind you. Muggles are experts in that field."  
  
He shook his head disapprovingly, "Well, I guess we'll just have to fix that, won't we then?"  
  
  
  



	11. Chapter Eleven

** Sixteen Candles, Chapter Eleven****  
**   
  
  
Looking back on that day, I found the defining moment of my life – well, up to age sixteen, of course – in those short twenty four hours. It wasn't what I expected at all, but once it was said and done, I was a much happier person for it.  
  
My father more than lived up to my expectations – which was more or less quite unusual, seeing as how I had never met him in my memory before this. A parentless child, as most children tend to do, blow things way out of proportion; with some, it's the fight over _that _red block, for others the heights of the adults around them. For me, however, I always believed my parents were much more human than I had always made them out to be in my mind.  
  
By the time I was four and able to fully grasp the fact my parents had died and that I didn't have the same relationship with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon that Dudley did, I started to dream. In my mind, I had the image of what my family would be like had it not been for the car accident, as I thought was the contributing factor in their deaths. The three of us – after my experience with Dudley, I never wanted siblings – were always laughing, always happy, and they were never mad at me.   
  
I had everything I wanted in that little family buried deep inside my mind, and by the time I was eight I learned how to feel guilty. The Dursleys had always blamed me for every tiny thing – including the weather – that had gone awry, so the first time the idea perhaps my parents had died in the car accident due to me passed through my mind, I stopped cold, my entire being frozen over with panic.  
  
I remember the exact moment in time that happened; where I was, who I was with, and what I was doing. I was in Literature at the time, trying desperately to stay awake as the professor droned on and on about some sort of writing – cursive, even though I didn't know it at the time – when a flash of green appeared in front of my mind, replacing the image of Professor Martin. I had always associated this green flash to the imaginary faces of my parents.  
  
My Mum was beautiful in my mind, but even more so in reality. She had dark hair, just as I did, and her eyes were the exact colour of mine, as they really were. My father did truly look as he really was, which surprised me even more when I saw his image for the first time in the mirror. The night I first saw my parents' reflection, before I felt euphoria set in from finally having a set imagine, I felt betrayal. For so many years before, I had formed an image of them in my mind, and to me, they were my parents. They looked the way I said they did, they acted the way I pretended they did – it was as if they were puppets and I was the puppeteer.  
  
The day I saw the flash of green in Literature class, that image flashed before my eyes and the impact of my loss came crashing down at all once. Had I, as a small child, somehow caused them to perish? Had they perhaps been taking me to day care, or to a friend for babysitting? Were they going out to dinner to celebrate my first birthday?  
  
I had no answers, and it wasn't until three years later, when Hagrid came crashing – quite literally – into my life, when I eventually learned the truth.  
  
The guilt still weighed upon me, however; my mother had died to save me. She had given her life to protect me, in all my infant glory, and had shown an amount of courage and strength I was sure I could never possess.  
  
Everything was so entirely different in this world, I was almost too afraid to speak in fear of finding out what I had said was too telling, or perhaps not Harry enough.  
  
I had lost myself, but gained everything I had ever wished for.  
  
I volunteered to help Mum with the breakfast dished before my friends came, and she seemed quite surprised for the second time that morning.   
  
"Did my sister manage to train you that well?" she asked perkily, her green eyes twinkling in a way that reminded me incredibly of Professor Dumbledore.  
  
"She didn't exactly train me, Mum," I chose my words carefully. "She more or less beat and threatened her way into me."  
  
_ CRASH._  
  
The plate in my mother's hands hit the floor before I even noticed it had dropped with a startling noise, making me jump right out of my socks.  
  
"She did _WHAT _to you?!"  
I stared at her angry features, not quite sure what to say.  
  
"Harry…" her voice was sharp and her words almost urgent, "Tell me, what did she do to you?"  
  
"It was just a vision, Mum," I said quietly, "Although it sure felt real."  
  
"Harry…" she repeated, a warning tone conflicting with the soothing tone she was trying to speak in, "What did that awful sister of mine ever do to you?"  
  
I shrugged, bending over carefully to pick up the shards of glass, gathering the pieces in my palm.  
  
"She just made sure I would follow her orders. I lived in a cupboards under the stairs for the first ten years of my life, which might have been a good thing seeing as I can now stand spiders – _OW_ !"  
  
I looked down at my right hand, which had been picking up the shards. With a slightly dazed expression on my face, I slowly stood up, eyes still locked on my hand.  
  
"Mum…" I said, half-frightened out of my wits, "Mum… the glass… my hand…"  
  
Sticking right through the center of my right index finger was one of the larger, sharper pieces of glass. It was cut down to the bone, sticking up in a way that was almost mocking.  
  
Mum, obviously used to these sorts of things, quickly and carefully extracted the pieces of glass from my partials severed finger, but when she turned around to grab a towel, my skin joined together once more, looking as if for all the world there had never been a piece of glass stuck in it, never mind the fact it had been a mere second before.  
  
I felt no pain as I gaped at my hand, and it wasn't until later I realized one very important fact with the cut.  
  
There was no blood.  
  



	12. Chapter Twelve

**Sixteen Candles - Chapter Twelve**  
  
  
Mum and I had no chance to marvel or theorize at my immediate healing, as at that exact moment, the doorbell rang, signaling Hermione and Ron's arrival.  
  
"Do they always come together?" I asked, still shaking from the incident.  
  
"Almost always," Mum answered, shaking her head, "I'm going to have a talk with your father about that cut of yours… In all my years, I've never seen anything like that."  
  
We made our way to the door together, both silent. She allowed me to answer it after checking to make sure it really was Hermione and Ron, and once I opened the door, I was attacked.  
  
_"Harry__!_" Hermione grinned, hugging me tightly. She looked up at me for a moment with absolute adoration in her eyes, and then leaned in to give me a soft kiss on the lips.  
  
I was most definitely _not _prepared for that.  
  
My eyes widened slightly as she backed down, and I involuntarily took a step back. Mum looked on, her eyes shining with unexpressed laughter.  
  
"H-Hermione," I stuttered, "Ron, how are you two?"  
  
Ron gave me a small smile and simply shrugged, while Hermione proceeded to launch into a five minute rendition of her life since I had seen her last – which, apparently, had been the longest we had Iever/I been apart.   
  
Really, how could we _possibly _survive a whole two days apart?  
  
Please note the sarcasm in that last thought.  
  
"Ron, Hermione…" said Mum, gesturing for the two to join her in one of the adjoining rooms, "May I please speak with you – alone?"  
  
With two curious glances sent my way, Hermione detached herself from me and followed Mum into what I assumed to be a private study. I sighed, making my way into the living room, where Dad was now having a chat with Sirius – through the fireplace.  
  
I stood silently behind him as he chatted with Sirius, mainly about an upcoming Quidditch Match we were apparently going to later that week. With a nod and a grin, Sirius acknowledged my presences, making Dad turn around to see who was behind him.  
  
"Hello, Harry," he smiled, "I heard the doorbell ring – are Hermione and Ron here?"  
  
I nodded, "Mum's having a chat with them."  
  
He nodded slowly, "Yes, which was a good idea… I suppose you wouldn't know if Draco was joining the three of you today?"  
  
I shrugged, "No clue. Ron or Hermione may know."  
  
He shook his head, turning back to Sirius, "If this continues any longer, I'm afraid I'm going to have to have a chat with Albus."  
  
Albus… "Dumbledore? Why would you talk to him about this?"  
  
He turned around once more, giving me a strange look, "He has a right to know."  
  
"But…" I sputtered. I did _NOT _want this getting out, "Why does he have a right to know?"  
  
Dad shook his head, "He's family, Harry, and I'd assume even how harshly you believe Petunia and Vernon treated you, you'd still have a good idea of family values."  
  
My jaw dropped, "He's… _family?!__"_  
  
Dad raised an eyebrow, "You mean in this 'past life', you never knew this?"  
  
"On what side?" I demanded.  
  
Dad shook his head once again, "If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you – once you start to remember things, it'll come back."  
  
I scowled, "And say it doesn't come back?"  
  
He chuckled, "Judging by the way you're acting? It's already started to."  
  
I sighed, shaking my head as Dad turned back to Sirius, who was also chuckling. I walked out of the room, arms crossed and head bowed, and the stood in front of the now-closed study doors, waiting for Mum to finish telling Ron and Hermione, hoping perhaps Hermione could get her hands off of me long enough for me to talk to both her and Ron.  
  
I didn't have to wait long; after the initial startled gasp from Hermione, Mum opened the double doors and winked at me.  
  
"Well, they know – now go upstairs or outside and grill everything you can out of them."  
  
I grinned and nodded, glad to have an ally besides Draco in this world.  
  
Hermione came out of the room, her lower lip quivering and eyes glassy. She walked up to me and stared at me for a good ten seconds before speaking, her voice unsteady as well.  
  
"So you don't remember us at all?"  
  
I sighed; when on earth did she become such a crybaby?  
  
"I know who everyone is – you're Hermione Granger, born September 19th. You – " I nodded over towards Ron, who was also staring at me, " – are Ron Weasley, born March 1st. The situations are just different, that's all."  
  
Ron stepped forward and motioned for us to follow him as he lead us out onto a large deck I hadn't known existed until then. He took a seat on a chair, and while I followed his lead, Hermione took her place on a hammock hanging in mid-air, obviously held up by magic.  
  
"So tell us," Ron started, "What's so different?"  
  
"Well, first of all," I sighed, "Draco Malfoy is _definitely _not my best friend – you are. Hermione and I aren't going out, either – you two are."  
  
I saw a flicker of hope light in Ron's eyes as I said this, and his gaze immediately shifted to Hermione for a split second, who was looking abashed at the mere possibility of us not being together.  
  
"Anything else?" he asked cautiously, reluctantly bringing his gaze back towards me.   
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact… My parents were dead, I lived with my horrible Aunt and Uncle who treated spiders – " I saw Ron shudder slightly and I smiled to myself; some things never change, " – better than me. Apparently, I'm related to Dumbledore in this lifetime, Remus Lupin isn't a werewolf, and Peter Pettigrew isn't a traitor."  
  
Both Ron and Hermione stared at me once again, both not knowing what to say.  
  
"You mean…" Hermione started, "Ron and I… are together? Happily?"  
  
"Quite," I nodded, "And to be completely honest, I liked it a lot better that way."  
  
One look from Hermione was all I needed to know I had _definitely _said the wrong thing that time.  
  
  



	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Sixteen Candles - Chapter Thirteen**  
  
  
Ron's mouth dropped open when he heard what I had said, but a moment later, I noticed a ghost of a grin on his face.  
  
"Mum explained it to you, Hermione – everything's different to me, and I'm really, really sorry if what I just did fucks up the entire rest of my life in this world, but… the only way I love you is as a friend, and I'm sure there are guys lining up to get a chance to get to know you."  
  
_ Wonder if flattering her boosted my chances of survival any?_  
  
Hermione's mouth opened and closed silently for a few moments, much like a fish, before she regained her composure enough to respond to me.  
  
"Well… I never did like you, Harry Potter!" she exclaimed, "And… and this is exactly what I think of you!"  
  
For a very frightening moment, I was terrified she was planning to aim a swift kick to my groin, but I breathed a sigh of relief when she moved towards Ron.  
  
_ She wouldn't hurt him, would she?_  
  
My question was answered less than a second later when, much to my surprise, she sat next to Ron and kissed him fully on the lips without any sort of notice.  
  
The way the colour of Ron's hair clashed with his face was enough for anyone to sit up and take notice.  
  
She released him, eyes shooting daggers at me, before she grabbed Ron's hand and tugged insistently.  
  
"Come on, Ron, we can tell when we're not wanted."  
  
As they walked past me, Ron shot me a grateful smile and grinned, "Sorry mate."  
  
"No worries." I grinned back, standing up and following them at a lagging pace through the house, until the two in front of me, still joined hand-in-hand, threw open the door, revealing a rather startled looking Draco, with his hand raised ready to knock.  
  
_ What was with house guests all of the sudden?_  
  
"Hermi –Ron? Are you two ok?" Draco asked, doing a rather ungraceful side step as Hermione forced herself past him, dragging Ron with her. I saw the questioning look Draco shot Ron before he stepped in, brushing his shirt off in the process.  
  
"What the bloody hell was that, Harry?"  
  
I smirked, "I just dumped Hermione."  
  
His jaw dropped, "You _WHAT_?!"  
  
"Dumped her." I replied simply, turning around and motioning for him to follow me to my room. "Now, I want to talk to you – you're my best friend, right?"  
  
"Yes," he replied cautiously, following quietly behind me.  
  
"You know almost, if not everything about me, right?"  
  
"I suppose," he answered, stopping at a door I had walked past, "Room's here, Harry."  
  
"Oh," I grinned in an embarrassed sort of way, "Thanks."  
  
"Anytime," he smirked and held the door open, "After you."  
  
I stepped inside and was almost floored by the heat of the place. It had been less than an hour since I had been in here, just waking up. I went directly to the window on the opposite side of my room and opened it, and then sat down on my bed. Draco sat down across from me on my desk chair, turning it backwards so he was leaning forward onto the back support.  
  
"So why'd you dump Hermione, Harry?" he asked, blonde hair falling into his eyes.  
  
I shrugged, "It just doesn't seem right for me to be with her when I'm pretty fucking sure Ron's completely in love with her. In my… dream, I guess you could say, they were perfect together; complete opposites, of course, but perfect."  
  
Draco nodded, showing me he understood to a certain degree, "Is that the only reason?"  
  
I nodded, "As far as I know of, yes. If I walked into someone else's life… If this really is a dream, or someone else's reality, or – God, I don't know. I just don't want to screw things up more than necessary."  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow, "Breaking up with your girlfriend is definitely bordering on screwing your life over. If it helps any – I didn't like her much either."  
  
I grinned, "Thanks. Doesn't seem like very good girlfriend material, does she?"  
  
He shrugged, "I've heard she's good in bed."  
  
My heart plumented to the ground and my stomach turned to one solid block of ice at this remark.  
  
"I – we – she and I – I'm not a virgin!?"  
  
Draco laughed, "You're not the only guy she's ever dated, Harry, but if you must know… no, you're not a virgin."  
  
"So I… I fucked Hermione?" I asked, eyes wide.  
  
"No, you didn't do jack with Hermione, don't worry about it."  
  
I breathed a sigh of relief, "Good… So who was it?"  
  
He waggled his eyebrows, "I'm not telling."  
  
"Draco!" I exclaimed, "Please?"  
  
"No," he insisted, "Maybe if you're trying to remember something, it'll help jog your memory a bit more."  
  
I sighed, "You're awful sometimes, you know that?"  
  
"And damn proud of it."  
  
  
  
  



	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Sixteen Candles - Chapter Fourteen**  
  
  
  
Draco and I sat across from each other in the large room, my cheeks flushed slightly from Draco's admitting I wasn't nearly as virgin as I was back home.  
  
Hell, back home I hadn't even been kissed yet.  
  
"So I actually… did… it … with someone?" I shook my head, "I didn't know I had to balls to do such a thing… especially at sixteen."  
  
Draco shook his head, "You were fifteen."  
  
"Fifteen then," I sighed, "How long ago?"  
  
He thought for a moment, "I really should know this… It was at Hogwarts, spring, so maybe three months ago?"  
  
"My parents don't know, do they?" I asked, suddenly horrified at the idea of them even having an inkling of an idea of what I had done.  
  
Draco laughed, "Hell no, you have nothing to worry about there. I'm the only one who knows, not even Ron does. You actually cheated on Hermione as well – of course, this was when you two first started dating, so you weren't quite as devoted…" his voice trailed off, "Well, as devoted as you were two days ago."  
  
I chuckled, "This is just too weird, honestly. I do have another question though."  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow, "Ask anything."  
  
"Why did you come with Snape yesterday?"  
  
It was an oddball question, yes, but it was something that had been bothering me since I had first saw the two together.  
  
He grinned, "He's Mum's boyfriend, and also a really good friend of your Mum's. He's around here often, so you'll run into him a lot. He's a nice guy, really smart and all of that."  
  
"He is a professor, right?"  
  
Draco nodded, "He was for a while. He works for the Ministry now though, on a million and three committees and all that. Very wealthy man, very prestigious, definitely a force to reckon with."  
  
I nodded, trying to absorb as much information as I could, "It's hard to believe, Snape being a lady's man and friends with my Mum and Dad."  
  
"Oh no, he's not too friendly with your Dad, Harry. Just your Mum, really."  
  
I raised an eyebrow, "That proves things never change."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
I shook my head, "Never mind. Tell me more about this life – things my parents wouldn't know."  
  
He grinned, "It's strange to hear you refer to this as 'this life', as if you've been reincarnated at age sixteen. Things your parents wouldn't know are few and far between, but I'm sure I could think of a few examples."  
  
"They know a lot about me then," I murmured, staring intently on Draco's sharp features, willing him to think harder.  
  
"Yes they do – I know! You curse often, a whole lot more than anyone in our year. You get away with it though – everyone loves you, you being Harry Potter and all. You've also snogged every single sixth year Gryffindor, and only half of them were on dares. Everyone wants to get in your pants to give you a good shag, but you've always been so moral and everything. It was a shock when you finally did lose it – letting that particular person get away with everything and all. I could have easily had a heart attack on the spot."  
  
"How did you find out?" I asked, although I was fairly sure I knew the answer already.  
  
Surprisingly, Draco fidgeted a bit before responding, "We're best friends, Harry. How do you think I found out?"  
  
"True," I shook my head, gathering up the courage to ask more in-depth questions, "So… do you know if I liked it? Or was it one of those 'wish I didn't do it' sort of things?"  
  
Draco smirked, "You most certainly enjoyed it, Harry – you were screaming so loud I wouldn't have been surprised if the entire school heard it."  
  
I wrinkled my nose, "Thanks… I must tell you everything, God. What did you do, listen?"  
  
Draco shook his head, "Not everything, I'll admit. And, to answer your question, I heard you screaming – very loudly, in fact… so loud it hurt."  
  
I sighed, "Wish I could remember. Was it in the dorms, a classroom, where?"  
  
He laughed, "Gryffindor boys dorms – not in your bed though."  
  
I blinked, "Ouch, I feel sorry for the poor bloke who's bed it happened in."  
  
He raised his hand mockingly, "Mine."  
  
My eyes widened, "You're kidding?"  
  
"Nope," Draco shook his head, "My bed."  
  
I cringed, "Well, I apologize for myself… Even though I don't remember it… I apologize."  
  
He smirked, "You have nothing to apologize for, I sort of led you there."  
  
I frowned, confused, "So you were there?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You saw the entire thing?"  
  
He paused, trying to think up a suitable answer, "You could say that."  
  
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to picture what had happened, "So… you were in the dorms while me and this bird –"  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow, the ever-present smirk pressing on, "Harry, before you go on, let's get one thing straight. You didn't fuck a girl."  
  
My mouth dropped open and I gaped silently for a moment, "…What?"  
  
He shook his head, "You're not gay, don't worry. You were experimenting – perfectly normal, really. You've enjoyed snogging enough girls to prove that fact right there."  
  
I blinked, suddenly putting two and two together, "Draco… who was this guy?"  
  
He leaned forward, chin resting on the back of the chair as his blonde hair fell into his eyes once more.  
  
"I believe you know the answer to that."  
  
_ Holy SHIT._  
  
  
  



	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen**  
  
  
My mind was awhirl with this strange, new information, and I stared at the boy in front of me with wide eyes, attempting in vain to figure some way it wasn't possible.  
  
"I… You… Impossible," I shook my head furiously, "I wouldn't… Would I?"  
  
Draco smirked, raising his left hand to brush away stray hairs from his eyes, "You would."  
  
"But…" I looked down at my hands, "Why?"  
  
Draco shrugged, "Like I said, it was just experimentation. It was awkward, messy, sloppy… Felt nice though."  
  
"Who… suggested it?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.  
  
He looked to his right for a moment, as if trying to recall the details, "I don't think anyone suggested it… I think it just sort of happened, really. We were on the topic and you made a side comment about how you were so nervous and really just wanted to get it over with. I agreed, and we were quiet for a moment, I suppose… It just happened, we just ended up getting the same idea at the same time, so we kissed, and that really started everything."  
  
I raised my eyebrows, "Was it fun?"  
  
He chuckled, gazing at me with what almost looked like relief in his eyes, "For the most part. Like I said earlier, the screaming was loud, so I'm going to assume you liked it as much as I did."  
  
I felt my ears turn red at this, and I quickly looked away from my friend, "Does anyone know?"  
  
He shook his head, "Nope. We have a system in the dorms, quite unoriginal, really. A sock on the doorknob means… Well, 'don't come in, someone's getting shagged'."  
  
I snorted, "So other people in the dorm have…?"  
  
"Sure," Draco replied, slightly surprised I wouldn't know that, "Seamus Finnigan and that Pansy Parkinson bird from Slytherin are a couple, and they make that known even if other people are in the dorm as well."  
  
My eyes widened, "Pansy?! I thought she was supposed to be y…" I trailed off, rethinking what I was about to say.  
  
_Obviously, if Draco was in Gryffindor, he wasn't in Slytherin and therefore wouldn't have Pansy hanging off of him like some annoying, black-haired growth._  
  
"I know, it was fairly surprising," Draco grinned, "But they're happy… I suppose that's really all that counts."  
  
I nodded, "Anyone else?"  
  
He thought for a moment, "Ron's gotten a few girls up there, considering the status of the Weasley family. He's not a bad guy though, so I suppose…"  
  
"Status of the Weasley family?" I asked carefully, "Last time I checked, they were fairly poor, with seven kids to support."  
  
Draco looked at me strangely, "The Weasleys are one of the most prominent wizarding families in the United Kingdom."  
  
I blinked, confused, "This is probably an extremely stupid question… but how?"  
  
"There are no stupid questions, just stupid people," Draco quoted, smirking, "Mr. Weasley is your father's second-in-command… Didn't he tell you that?"  
  
Vaguely, in my mind, I remembered Dad saying something about Mr. Weasley having no time to take on full Ministership – something to do with Percy's daughter.  
  
"So they're rich?" I asked, my mind buzzing with excitement, "That's awesome."  
  
Draco shrugged, "I've never known it any other way."  
  
I shook my head, "I'm sorry, back on subject. What were we talking about?"  
  
"The night we discovered there are very little differences between us."  
  
_Nice way to put it._  
  
I shook my head, "It's so embarrassing to ask for details."  
  
He grinned, "I'll tell you anything you want to know."  
  
I felt as if a barrier had been broken down between us, but I still felt the need to protect myself from his authority between us. With a sly grin, I leaned forward slightly, eyebrow raised in a very un-Harrylike manner.  
  
"So, was I good?"  
  
He threw his head back and just about cackled, and I was glad to know I had gained the upper hand between us, if only for a moment.  
  
"Best I've ever had."  
  
"Which basically means I'm the only one you've ever had," I replied smugly.  
  
He grinned, "I'm glad to see my best friend's still in there, Harry."  
  
"You didn't answer my question, Draco."  
  
"You never asked one," he grinned, "You simply implied one."  
  
"So imply an answer," I grinned back, a sort of complete happiness filling my body as we bantered back and forth.  
  
"Do you think I'm the type to stay a virgin for too long?"  
  
I smirked, "Do you really want me to answer that? A bruised pride may result."  
  
"Wanker," he laughed, "I've never known you to go the entire day without insulting me in some shape or form."  
  
"And I'm sure you do the exact same thing to me," I retorted, grabbing a pillow from my bed and throwing it at him.  
  
"So what if I do?" he replied, feigning offended.  
  
I laughed, "Ha! Told you so."  
  
"Are you sure you don't remember anything?" He asked, tilting his head, "You're starting to sound the same, act the same."  
  
I shrugged, "Sorry, still blank. I was hoping maybe some of this would jog my mem—"  
  
With a sudden burst of light, my mind was no longer in my bedroom, but in the Gryffindor Common Room. I saw myself sitting next to Draco in front of the fire, both of us taking up an entire couch as we spread out.   
  
_"You honestly didn't do anything with her?" Draco asked me, eyes widening with surprise, "I would kill to have her in bed, and you gave up the chance, just like that."__  
__  
__I felt myself shrug, and then heard my voice come out of my mouth, felt my lips move, but there was nothing I could do to stop myself – it was a memory.__  
__  
__"I just haven't found the right girl yet."__  
__  
__"Bollocks," Draco replied, "You're afraid."__  
__  
__"Of what?" I heard myself reply, "I've got another to be afraid of."__  
__  
__"You're afraid of doing something you'll regret later on in life. Probably afraid of getting someone pregnant, or self conscious – is that is, Harry? Are you self conscious enough to let that get in the way of having a good lay?"__  
__  
__I felt myself blushing furiously, "Yes… I'm not sure if I'd be good enough or… well… I just don't want to be laughed at."__  
__  
__ I__ met Draco's gaze shyly as he leaned forward, placing his hand on my knee, "Nonsense, Harry. I don't see any reason in the world why you wouldn't be good enough – and we've seen each other in the shower, so don't you dare give me that excuse."__  
__  
__I shrugged, "It's not that… It's just… You're right. I don't want to regret anything afterwards, do it with the wrong person, I don't know. Pregnancy also scares the shit out of me – what if that does happen? I don't want to take any risks… but I also want to know that maybe the girl enjoyed it as much as me, you know?"__  
__  
__"She would," he said softly, "There's no one in the world crazy enough to think you weren't good enough."__  
__  
__ "__What if I'm laughed at? The butt of gossip? What if the girl tells all her friends? I want to get the whole virgin thing over with; I just don't want the entire school knowing. You know how that sort of thing always gets back to Dad."__  
__  
__"I wouldn't laugh," he said gently, "Nor would I tell anyone. I'll kill anyone who thinks of you as a trophy, with my bare hands if I have to."__  
__  
__"Thanks," I smiled, and somewhere in my mind I noticed all of the barriers I felt existed between he and I were completely gone. He was someone I could talk to without consequence, and somewhere in my brain, I was comfortable with that.__  
__  
__He and I sat there for a moment, eyes locked, never noticing any other student in the Common Room. Within the memory, I truly had no idea if there was anyone else there – all that existed was the couch, the fire to my right, and Draco.__  
__  
__I felt a tightening of my chest from a feeling I didn't recognize as we sat there, time having no place in a memory. His eyes bore into mine as mine into his, a connection establishing between us that I now recognized from my room – somewhere that seemed so far away.__  
__  
__A new emotion filled this memory – a wanting. Wanting what, I had an idea, but I didn't know for sure. My suspicions were confirmed, however, as I felt myself smile slightly and nod up towards the staircase leading to the 5th Year Boy Dorms. Draco blinked, obviously curious, and mimicked my actions for confirmation. I nodded, and in what seemed like a fraction of a second, we had gotten up off the couch and up the staircase, into the dorms. I felt myself pull off one of my shoes and socks, taking the grubby thing and placing it carefully on the handle on the outside of the door, closing it and locking it with a single word.__  
__  
__ And then I kissed him._


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen**  
  
  
_"Harry? You ok?"_  
  
The voice came from faraway, and although I could only hear it vaguely, I somehow knew who was speaking. My mind was still awhirl with this new onslaught of memories my mind had chosen to reveal, and my consciousness had not yet fully awakened from the memory I had experienced.  
  
"Harry Potter, if you don't snap out of it right now, I'll go find your Mum, and she'll definitely be curious as to why you're like this… Now, for Merlin's sake, look at me!"  
  
With forced recognition, I shifted my eyes slightly to my left, where Draco hovered over me, eyes showing a mixture of surprise, anger, and even a bit of concern. Outside of Hermione, Ron, and Sirius, I couldn't remember ever having anyone genuinely concerned over me – and it definitely had a sense of content to it.  
  
My mind immerged from the hazy mist that had occupied my mind, gaze coming into focus slowly, and slowly the idea I wasn't in the Gryffindor dorms – but in my bedroom – slowly set in.  
  
"You in there?" Draco's impish grin greeted my startled gaze, causing a reaction in me that for the rest of my life, I felt I never could explain.  
_  
__ Why, of all memories, did that one have to be the first to resurface?_  
  
"Yeah," I shook my head, privately amazed I hadn't collapsed from the sheer force and mental impact of the remembrance, "I – I started to remember, that's all."  
  
"Really?" Draco's face lit up with hope, "What about?"  
  
I struggled with a delicate way to put my findings, "Well… I can remember what happened that night, I'll tell you that."  
  
His eyes widened, "All of it?"  
  
I shook my head, "Just up to when I… err… kissed you."  
  
He snorted, "You missed all the good stuff, mate. Sorry about that."  
  
I shook my head, "Maybe there's a reason I can't remember – is there anything my mind would be protecting itself against?"  
  
Draco looked at me oddly, "What the hell gave you that idea, Harry?"  
  
I shrugged, "I don't know, I just… Is there anything that's happened recently that I might want to be protecting my mind from?"  
  
He thought for a moment, "Not that I know of. If you're referring to what we did, I can honestly say neither of us regretted it – we just agreed to move on. It was a decent way to lose it, no string attached, no feeling of obligation. Just the satisfaction of knowing we got away with it, really."  
  
I blinked, "So is that what it was really all about? Knowing we got away with it?"  
  
He shook his head vigorously, "No, no, definitely not. I suppose you could see it that way, but I assure you, neither of us did."  
  
"Then what did we see it as?" I asked curiously, with absolutely no offensive nature to my tone.  
  
He shrugged, "A good lay."  
  
I smirked, "No emotional ties? Just a good lay?"  
  
He shrugged once again, "Well… You can't do that sort of thing with someone and just more or less ignore the implications. I'll admit, there were a few… other sessions, shall we say, but none of them went as far as the first one did."  
  
"So we basically just got off on one another?"  
  
He snorted, "Yep."  
  
I nodded, "Nice to know. Anything recently?"  
  
Draco looked at me curiously for a moment before replying, "You want to know whether or not we have random snogging sessions – whether or not we fight a losing battle to hormones, basically."  
  
I shrugged, "You could put it that way."  
  
He thought once more, "Last time was right after school let out, if I remember correctly. It's nothing more than a way to relieve tensions… A cute bird won't let us do anything below the waist, for example. We just… release the tension."  
  
I raised my eyebrow, "The scary part is, that sounds like something I'd do, especially in this world."  
  
He rolled his eyes, "Still convinced you're from another world, are you?"  
  
I shrugged, "I have sixteen years worth of memories from that one and about five minute's memories from this – you tell me which one's real."  
  
He grinned, "Considering I'm living in this one… I'd have to say you'd be absolutely insane to think what you remember is your real life."  
  
"Right now, I'm not all that sure," I sighed, "Isn't there something we could do to try and reverse this memory thing? Anything?"  
  
He raised an eyebrow, "If talking about it helped you remember, maybe we should –," he broke off, laughing at my absurd expression, "All right, I'll talk to Snape. If anyone can help you, he can."  
  



	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Sixteen Candles - Chapter Seventeen****  
**  
Once I stop getting bashed and accused, I'll start back up with the individual thank yous. However - to everyone who's supported me and stuck up for me, I thank you immensely. To those who have been wrongly accusing me, and unmercifully so... Do us all a favour and go to hell. No one's listening and you're wasting your time here. However, if you have so little a life that you insist on accusing me as you've been doing, please, don't let me get in the way of your entertainment. If you're THAT pathetic that you don't have anything else to do... I wouldn't want to ruin your fun or anything now, would I? That'd be far too cruel of me, and I'm not just that sort of person.  
However, as I've said, do the rest of us a favour and either drop dead or go to hell - preferably both, if you don't mind. You're wasting your time here, I haven't done anything worth accusing me of, and if you've cared to notice the authors you're so mindlessly defending haven't said a word past the initial attack. The reason I moved Sixteen Candles, if you're too dense to read the posts I've stuck in four different places, is because if ff.net does decide to kick 16C off (and wrongfully so), my other -more important stories- won't be touched.   
I'm not stupid enough to copy someone else's work and ideas and then post it where it got 342 reviews... Is that it? Jealous because I may have a few more reviews? Believe me, if I had any eye for reviews, I wouldn't have moved Sixteen Candles. 342 down to 29... I'm not writing this for reviews, I'm writing it for the sake of finishing something **_I_** started. Not something Mister Bear started, not something any of you started, but something **_I_** came up with, something _**I**_ wrote. Do yourself a favour and before you start flaming and accusing again, let me **FINISH THE STORY**. This will go on past Hogwarts and far into the future - I'm not going to stick to one year or season. I PROMISE you, by the time this is over, you'll never be able to figure out - based on the ending - how you ever came up with the idea I copied. There's a reason this story's called Sixteen Candles, as I'm sure there's a reason DoE's titled what it is, and as far as I can tell neither have any sort of link whatsoever.   
I respect Mister Bear's work immensely, and with respect comes reverence - which, for me, doesn't include copying. Once I'm done, feel free to flame me into hell and back. I'll gladly take it - I promise, I swear on my Mother's grave, stick a needle in my eye, all that good stuff. Deal? Thank you.  
  
Aimée  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was almost a week later when Snape finally dropped by at Draco's request. After a quick look, he decided it was going to take more than a bit of a potion to cure whatever it was that was blocking my mind – after I talked to him a bit, of course.  
  
"You're friends with Mum then?" I asked carefully, still wary of the quick-eyed Potions Master who was measuring ingredients in front of me as I sat on the kitchen counter, legs dangling and swinging to some unknown beat within my own mind.  
  
"Yes," he spoke clearing, measuring out what looked like a cup of purple, shimmering liquid to place in a potion he insisted on testing on me before making his diagnosis, "I have been since Hogwarts, really. Lucius Malfoy and I took it upon ourselves to look after her – especially during those times, with Voldemort and all."  
  
I looked at him work busily, never before realizing exactly how talented the man was, "So… Lucius Malfoy wasn't a Death Eater?"  
  
Snape gave a start which nearly spilt the liquid he was holding carefully in the cup, but then regained his composure and turned towards me, eyes showing no trace of the malicious glint I had expected to see in them.  
  
"How do you know about that?"  
  
I shrugged, "In – in my memories, even if they are deceiving, you and Lucius Malfoy are Death Eaters. You're a spy though, so don't worry about that."  
  
His shoulders visibly drooped wearily as he dumped the cup's contents – finally measured to his approval – into the already overflowing cauldron set on the fire.   
  
"I suppose there are a few parallels to this world set in your memories and the real world; Yes, I was a spy before the downfall of Lord Voldemort, as was Lucius. He's actually the one who talked me into it – I was too afraid and cowardly before he told me it was either defend what we believed was right or to shrivel up and die under Voldemort's control. He was a good man, and unfortunately the wrong people found out about his treason… I should have been able to stop it, but I didn't find out until it was too late."  
  
The man's stern face showed little to no emotion as he continued to measure out the ingredients carefully, busying himself in his work instead of brooding on about the past.  
  
I froze as I heard his confession, my active legs becoming the equivalents of branches as they hung, stiff front the counter.  
  
"I'm sorry… I didn't know," I apologized quietly, "Who would do such a thing?"  
  
He paused to roll up his sleeves to his elbows before answering, "Someone I once thought I could trust."  
  
At first I didn't notice the implications of his actions, but it only took a moment for me to realize what he had done – purposely so. He had shown both forearms to me directly and with a quick glance towards me, he invited me to look.  
  
Despite his confessions to being a Death Eater – despite the fact I had plainly seen a Dark Mark on his left forearm even after Voldemort had been defeated in my memories – both forearms were clean and unmarked.  
  
I blinked, my mind drawing a thousand conclusions all at once, but only one stuck out far enough for me to grasp the concept.  
  
"You mean…" I started, gulping loudly, "Peter… He really was…?"  
  
Snape's eyes darted to all entrances of the kitchen before answering me with a short, solid nod. Before I had a chance to reply, however, he shoved the finished potion within a glass vial into my hands, instructing me to drink.  
  
I swallowed the hot, bitter liquid with two large swallows, gagging at the awful taste as I handed the vial back to the Potions Master, He observed my reactions carefully for a few moments before shaking his head and starting to pack up his supplies.  
  
"Tell your Mother I tried, but this isn't going to be cured by a mere potion. I don't know what's blocking your mind, but what ever it is, it may just have to naturally subside. I have to go now – a prior engagement – but give your Mother my greetings, please."  
  
With a whirl of navy blue, he had walked out of the kitchen and out the front door, closing the heavy double set behind him with a stomach-lurching thud, leaving me to muse over the information he had just entrusted me with.  
  
Peter Pettigrew _had _been a Death Eater, but more importantly, he had killed Lucius Malfoy.  
  
  



	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Sixteen Candles - Chapter 18**  
  
Now, I don't mean to jump into this whole thing and such - but has anyone ever read **Harry Potter and the Wish Of Life?** I've talked to the author a few times before, and... Well... her new chapter sorta made me go "O_O". Her story's almost exactly like this one - in many, many ways. I'm not going to say anything as a fact here, but her story's an awful lot like this one. Go read and see for yourself - I don't like being copied any more than I like being accused of copying.  
**  
****http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=589798**  
  
Check it out... Thanks!!  
Aimée  
  
  
  
  
  
  
When asked what happened for the next three weeks, for the rest of my life I couldn't say. I didn't see Snape, nor – luckily, for him – did I see Peter; if I had, I'm quite sure no one would have ever heard from him again.  
  
I debated constantly with myself with whether or not to turn Peter in; I then realized, however, I had no proof he had been my parent's Secret Keeper, or even that Snape was telling the truth. He had treated me horribly in my memories, and to suddenly have him confide in me was quite the shock, and I wasn't sure if I was prepared to deal with it.  
  
I wasn't willing to trust either of them, so I allowed the subject to drop and to disappear in the back of my mind with the rest of the interesting facts I had learned since I came into this world.  
  
Did you know that the Minister of Magic likes chocolate pancakes for breakfast, preferably with a happy face made out of various fruits and syrups? Apparently, his son does as well, for all I had been served since I had come was those dreaded pancakes.  
  
The happy faces were simply too much for me – really.  
  
When Mum took me to Diagon Ally to buy school supplies, I noticed two fairly important things; Number one, everyone seemed to recognize the two of us and I was bowed to more times than I'd care to admit. Number two – nothing, besides the fame, was different.  
  
It was a relief to know not everything had changed in this world; to have at least one handle to hold on to would be enough for my sanity, and that's exactly what Diagon Ally provided for me, from that year and beyond.  
  
On September 1st, I boarded the Hogwarts Express alone, so lost within my own mind as I had been for nearly a month that I really couldn't have told you whether or not the compartment I sat in was empty. By the time I got there, however, it was.  
  
Draco and Ron joined me before the train started; seeing Draco on the Hogwarts Express brought back far too many painful memories that I was trying desperately to avoid. I didn't say a word as the two walked into the compartment, trucks stored away and plain black Gryffindor robes in bags they carried with them.  
  
"Harry," Draco sat next to me and nudged me painfully in the ribs, making me snap back into the world which I was in. "You alive in there?"  
  
I nodded, "Sorry – I didn't get much sleep last night. How was the ride here?" I asked casually, directing my question at both Ron and Draco.  
  
Ron answered first, shrugging, "It was ok, I suppose. Ginny's suddenly developed the whole teenager attitude, and if I was that bloody annoying last year, do me a favour and put me out of my misery."  
  
Draco snickered, "What ever Ginny's like this year, Ron – I can guarantee you, you were and probably still are ten times worse."  
  
In the back of my mind, I expected Ron to reply to Draco's insult with his fists, and I unconsciously started reaching out for the back of his robes before I remembered Ron and Draco were friends in this world, as messed up as that was.  
  
"What's gotten into you, Harry?" Ron asked, noticing my movements.  
  
I shook my head, "Nothing, sorry. It's been a hectic day so far, and I just really want to get to Hogwarts and get some sleep."  
  
Draco nodded, "We can leave if you'd like – go find Hermione or someone and bother them, let you get some sleep."  
  
I shrugged, "You can stay, it doesn't matter. Anything new with your Mum and Snape?"  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow at my quick change of subject, but didn't say anything about it.  
  
"Rumor has it he's going to propose," Draco grinned, "Wouldn't that be wicked?"  
  
I forced a grin, "That'd be awesome, Draco. If he does, make sure we're invited to the wedding."  
  
Ron grinned as well, "Yeah, we'd never give up the opportunity to get pissed, and I'm sure the adults will be too busy congratulating your Mum and Snape to notice."  
  
Draco laughed, "We'll have to invite some girls, of course."  
  
"Of course!" Ron grinned, "What's alcohol without someone to share the buzz with?"  
  
"Not much," I replied, shaking my head, "That's the only way a girl would get me to bed though."  
  
Both boys looked at me surprised, "You sure you're ok, Harry?"  
  
"Yeah – last time I checked, you were the one getting shagged here," Ron raised an eyebrow.  
  
I sighed, "If you two insist. I still don't remember anything else – you two know that."  
  
Ron shrugged, "As far as I know, you're the one getting the girls in the dorm."  
  
"What about Seamus?" Draco pointed out.  
  
"What about him?" Ron shrugged once more, "Pansy's as masculine as they come – no reason in the world to count her as a female, now, is there?"  
  
I chuckled and leaned off to the left slightly to avoid Draco's sudden, almost seizure-like reaction. He threw his head back and laughed, his body convulsing with every bubble of sound escaping his throat.  
  
"Pansy – if she was actually a guy, she'd really BE a pansy!"  
  
Both Ron and I starred blankly at the hysterical sixteen year old, neither of us quite sure how to react to that.   
  
Draco stopped laughing suddenly and returned the stare pointedly until the two of us looked away, a faint blush appearing on Ron's cheeks.   
  
"Never try, Weasley," he gloated, "Because you know damn well you'll never win."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**A-chan:** Yeah, Peter killed Lucius. It's fine, about not being completely up to date on the situtation - it's over now, Mister Bear and I made peace. I'm not too sure how far this will go... It'll cover a few years, but I don't know how many years I'm going to pass by and how detailed the rest are going to be, to be honest. It'll be at least 30, I'd like to say. Feel free to strangle Peter all you want!! :o)  
  
**AllAboutMe: **Eh, I like showing of my American-ness. It's a good thing. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
**Allocin:** Thank you - yep, Peter's a traitor. Unknown so far though, and whether or not Harry's going to reveal him as one, I haven't decided yet. And thank you once again, it's awesome to have so much support.  
  
**Artemis-chan:** Yeah, there are a ton of differences between DoE and 16C - we've cleared the whole thing up though, so all's good. Thanks!  
  
**Arwen Undomiel:** Wow, thanks! Here's another chapter for you - hope you like it. I'm sorry I don't update nearly as much as I used to, but I've got a few typing problems (and I'm grounded *G*). It's not going to remain H/D, but chances are Hermione and Harry won't get back together. I'm not entirely fond of the pair - not against it either, for that matter.  
  
**Athalia: **Aye, he's supposed to be different from the books in this story - you'll see why sooner or later.  
  
**caroline:** I'm sorry the chapters are so short - I'll do my best to make them longer.  
  
**ginny potter: **Aww! LOL, thanks hun. This enough of an update for you? :o)  
**  
****Jayde:** You dumped soda on someone's head?! Go you! Thanks for telling Ivy Blossom off - and I have to tell you, I love your bio for your pen name, and THANK YOU! That means a ton to me. :o)  
**  
****Jimi: **Looks as if you're getting your wish - chances are, this won't be slash, and if it is it'll be short little bursts every five or ten chapters, if that.  
  
**Klee:** Thanks *G*   
  
**Liz Skywalker: **Yep, Peter killed Lucius - scary, isn't it? I'm sorry for making you scream, I'm sure I lost a lot of readers over the screen name switch, but it was necessary and I put up notices in about four places. Thanks!!  
  
**-Nagini-: **Of course Harry's not jumping to conclusions - why would he do that? :o) I'm damn glad you seemed to enjoy it so much.  
  
**Quack Quack 88: **You're welcome!! LOL, thanks a ton for all those reviews - it means a lot for you to do something like that, thanks :o) Yeah, when a story gets kicked off of ff.net, your pen name goes along with it because you supposibly violated Terms of Service, and I'm all for protecting Least Likely of All and my other stories.   
  
**SamWitch: **You're too kind! I'm no J.K. Rowling - no one is, except for her. Thanks though :o)  
  
**Silverfox: **Don't try to figure out what happened - you won't find out for a while, chances are. I'm glad you found it again as well :o)  
  
**smile7499:** Not everyone loves Draco... actually, I'm sure the majority of fans hate him. Thanks for the compliments though!! I want Ron to be Harry's friend again.  
**  
****Tidmag and Gen Raid: Death Ribbon Revolution:** Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Interesting pen name you've got there - is it Greek?  
  
**twirlgirl04:** Thank you SO much for all the support! If it makes you happy, this story won't remain H/D for very long - maybe a spat or two here and there, but it definitely won't be the main theme. I don't know quite what's going to happen yet, but I hope you like it :o)  
  
**Wolf of Solitude:** Do you know how awesome you are? You made my mouth drop open with that review - thank you! Do you see why I wasn't too happy with Shana now? It's not a random thing, I've been talking to her for a while. Thanks again - and remember, blimps are dangerous this time of year, especially when they fall out of the sky.  
  
  
  
And don't forget...   
**http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=589798**  



	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Sixteen Candles - Chapter 19**  
  
Yes, I'm sorry this took so long. I've been busy writing a story I really want to get done - it's on LanaMariah and it's called Save Yourself. Go read it, please? I like it. :o) I may move this story back to LanaMariah, I don't know. I already lost about 340 reviews, I'm not too eager to lose another 85. O well... *shrug* I think it's happy here for now.  
Aimée  
  
  
  
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Nothing had changed when we reached Hogwarts; the castle was still the same, the stone walls still gloomy and damp. When I walked through the front doors, however, I had a sudden sense of hone that I'd hadn't experienced since I had lost my memory.  
  
I was now ready to say that I truly had lost my memory and perhaps dreamt of something else; this world was far too real for it to be a dream, and I wasn't disappointed in the least with my parents being alive. I would have rather had this world be real than the other – therefore, I convinced myself I had simply had one of those visions. A memory had even reappeared – how could I deny this world of reality?  
  
As Draco, Ron, Hermione, and I walked into the Great Hall, I immediately noticed nothing had changed within it either; the only difference was that Draco didn't turn towards the Slytherin table as we sat down. Instead, he sat down next to me, his hair falling sloppily into his face as he sat down on the bench with a thud.  
  
I looked up at the High Table with curiosity, wanting to see which teachers I would recognize and which ones would be foreign to me; as I had expected, instead of seeing Professor Flitwick, Mum was sitting with the teachers, placing herself between Snape and Dumbledore. I smiled and allowed myself to move on, recognizing each face that was seated up there. There was one seat empty, however – one that I assumed belonged to the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, just as it always had in the years previous.   
  
"Don't we have a DADA teacher?" I asked Draco, nodding up towards the empty seat.  
  
He turned around and looked, "No, we don't – I don't know where he is though."  
  
I sighed, "Who is he? If you say Lockhart, I think I'll turn myself into a toad."  
  
He grinned, "You mean that idiot author? Of course not, he was thrown into Azkaban years ago – apparently he tried to cure a raving madman of his insanity and ended up killing him. Didn't go over too well with the Ministry when he admitted to lying in all of his books, either."  
  
I laughed, "Serves the old bastard right – he was my second year DADA teacher," I explained.  
  
Draco winced, "Sorry, mate."  
  
I shrugged, "Doesn't matter – who's the teacher then?"  
  
Before he had a chance to answer, I looked up once again and saw Professor Lupin sit down in the empty chair next to Snape, a smile adorning his tawny features.  
  
"Lupin?!" I asked incredulously, "Really?"  
  
Draco nodded, "Of course. Has been for all five years now – I really couldn't imagine it any other way. He's an excellent teacher."  
  
I nodded, amazed, "Yeah, I know… He was the third year DADA teacher."  
  
Draco snorted, "What, did you change DADA Professors every year?"  
  
I grinned, "Something like that."  
  
"Should I even ask why?"  
  
I shrugged, "I killed one, Lockhart lost his memory – from Ron's wand, I believe. Lupin was a werewolf – did I tell you that part? – and after everyone found out, he resigned. Mad-Eye Moody was the fourth year DADA professor, but he ended up being Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise after he escaped from Azkaban."  
  
Draco laughed, "That's absolutely insane, Harry."  
  
I nodded, "Believe me, I know."  
  
Just then, Professor McGonagall burst into the room with two rows of First Years behind her. I grinned and nudged Draco, eyeing all of the nervous eleven year olds.  
  
"Fresh meat," I muttered.  
  
He nodded, "I have a feeling it's going to be one hell of a year."  
  
We sat patiently during the ceremony, whispering between the four of us as our friends' siblings were called. It took perhaps fifteen minutes for the entire year to be Sorted, and after it was Dumbledore stood up, looking for all the world he would rather be at no other place.  
  
"Welcome students, both new and old!" He exclaimed, "It's so good to see all of your faces ready for another year of schooling. I hope not everything you've learned in the years previous hasn't drained out of your head during the summer – ears can be tricky that way, you see."  
  
I snorted, along with about half of the school as he said this. Draco leaned over and whispered something to Ron, making him laugh loudly.  
  
His speech continued on for a few more minutes, his upbeat voice making the mood of the Great Hall lift even as clouds loomed overhead in the enchanted ceiling. After what seemed like forever, he finally announced it was time to eat – and just as it always had, food appeared on the table instantly.  
  
Suddenly starving, I attacked the food in front of me, not caring if I was making a mess of myself. I was ecstatic I finally felt comfortable; I was at Hogwarts and for once in my life, I was home.  
  
  
  
  
**Anie: **Thank you, I hope you liked this chapter! :o)  
  
**Aragorn's Love Slave:** LOVE the SN! :o) Thank you - I think Harry and Draco make better boyfriends than bestfriends, but I don't know if it'll go that way this time. Most of my other fics are slash, so... Hmm.. Those are on LanaMariah, in case you're wondering. Thanks again!  
  
**Artemis-chan:** Harry may go back to his old world, he may not. I know though - for once in a story's life, I actually know how it's going to end. *sigh* For Least Likely of All (which is on LanaMariah), I literally decided what I was going to write as I was writing it. Had no idea how it was going to end until something like chapter 90.. :o) Feel free to ask any questions, I promise I won't think of them as rude. Questions are good, you may even get a few answered :o)  
  
**Arwen Undomiel:** LOL, thanks. I know my chapters are short - unless I get some burst of inspiration, they usually are. I always always ALWAYS make them at least a page long though. I'll try harder though :o) Thanks again!  
  
**Ashliebelle: **Thank you! I'm glad you finally decided to review a bit, it was very much appreciated. Thanks for sticking up for me, and I really hope you liked this chapter!  
  
**Catspook: **Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter, even though it was so short. :o)  
  
**clarke24: **Nothing happened, sorry :o) Maybe next chapter? I'm due to give out a surprise here soon... Hmm.  
  
**Christy Corr:** Yeah, the Dark Mark disappeared when Voldemort died for good. The scar's a completely different matter though, which you'll see towards the end. Thanks for reviewing!  
**  
****Dickens, Polyre, LS, Darling, Love: **Yes, I know. Have you read Chapter 7 of the pansy story yet, huh huh huh?  
**  
****hat, scarf, and gloves:** Heh, thanks. Eh, you can do what ever you'd like with HP+WoL, of course - free will and all :o) Thanks a ton though! And yeah, Draco/Harry does seem to make things better, doesn't it?   
  
**IncubusSuccubus: **Nice pen name :o) "Holy shirt"? That's a new one. Thanks!  
  
**Jayde: **Thanks :o) DoE isn't cheesy, at least not in my opinion - I like it, actually. It's just really Americanized... Is that even a word? The two girls who write DoE are absolutely wonderful people and I wouldn't insult them for the world. Thanks a ton for your review! :o)  
  
**jimi:** There may be one more encounter... but I can promise you Harry and Draco don't end up together.  
  
**Jedi Cosmos:** Thanks for the compliments, and I have to say I've talked to the author of WOL for a while - I have reason to attack her and I'm not just shooting my mouth off. There are more similarities than there are differences there with that story, and she HAS read 16C - she told me about a month before this whole thing started. I'm a hypocrite, I know, but everyone has a right to defend their story. Thanks again though :o)  
  
**keja wilson:** Thank you, I hope you liked this chapter :o)  
  
**Klee: **Where have you been? I haven't talked to you in ages! Ok, a few days... But still. You still reading Save Yourself or have you given up on that? :o) Thanks a ton, hon!  
  
**Liz Skywalker:** Thanks! I wonder what Potions will be like as well.  
  
**Loony Loony Lupin: **Thanks for the suggestion... this story isn't going to be slash though, and if it does end up that way it most certainly won't be the center of the plot. No one likes flames, and I can assure you I never told anyone to go out and flame her. I've talked to her for a while and I know what she's like.. more or less a bitch. Thanks again though.  
  
**Mare: **You are fucking AWESOME, you know that? I've read Legacy, by Rube - she's a good author, but after that flame? She lost any respect I had for her. Thank you tons for sticking up for me, you're an absolute doll! :o)  
  
**Peacockgirl:** Hopefully we settled that whole issue in the chatroom, eh?  
  
**Quack Quack 88: **Yeah, I know what you mean with the whole Harry/pairing thing. To be honest, I can only see him with Draco - I'd find it offending if he got together with Cho or Hermione, and I'd shit a brick if he got together with Ginny. I honestly hate that pairing, probably because it's always written so fluffy and sweet. *sigh* O well, thanks a ton!  
  
**SilverFox:** Being curious definitely isn't a bad thing. Hermione's around... I suppose. Pansy's still a Slytherin... And Ginny? Hmm. Hadn't factored her in yet, thanks for reminding me. I'm completely against all Ginny ships (except for the odd Draco/Ginny, but those are very, very rare), so no one's gonna get her in this story. I know who Draco and Harry are going to get though - and the answer may just surprise you :o)  
  
**Tiger Lily: **Yep, Peter killed Lucius. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
**twirlgirl04:** I know, I know... short. They all are, I can't help it - as long as they're a page long ,will that be acceptable? :o) Thanks again!  
  
**Urania:** Sorry about the slash, I honestly wasn't expecting to write it when I started out. You can rest assured now, there shouldn't be any more slash in it - if there is, it'll be very, very little and a one-time thing. I have plans for Harry that don't include Draco.  
**  
****Wolf of Solitude: **An inside joke? Hmm, perhaps. :o) I'm sorry the chapter took so long.. *sigh* I wrote too much of Save Yourself. Have you read that one yet? It's under LanaMariah, if you're interested. Thanks again!  
  
  
  
_**POLGAN. **_What do I have to do to get some feedback here, hold the next chapter hostage until you review? *sigh* And I thought you loved me... Kidding :o)  



	20. Chapter Twenty

**Sixteen Candles, Chapter Twenty**  
  
Well, ok, it's official - Carson Daly sucks. He has a top ten countdown on my radio station at 11... and it's just wrong. He likes J. Lo. as well. She's a good singer and actress, yes, but have you HEARD of some of the things in her contract?! "Room must always be sprayed with (insert perfume's name here), Wallpaper must be (insert certain color)", etc etc etc. It's insane! Sorry this chapter took so long - I was sorta busy with my stories under LanaMariah. :o) Thanks!  
Aimée  
  
  
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There's a saying I'm sure you've heard: "Home is where the heart is". Until I stepped foot in Hogwarts that night, I always believed I never had a home. Even the home I now shared with my parents wasn't within the comfort zone I had always expected a home to feel like. I was treated as if I would break at any given moment, and quit frankly, I was tired of it.   
  
Even if I hadn't realized it before, I realized it now; Hogwarts was my home. It was the one place I felt as if I belonged; the Dursleys had made sure I didn't feel at home with them, nor had any of the schools I had gone to accepted me with open arms. I was a dirty, strange little boy with no parents whose kind, generous Aunt and Uncle had taken him in.   
  
Yeah, and the Pope's Jewish.  
  
Despite my animosity towards those who had raised me – at least in the memories I possessed – I was absolutely ecstatic as Draco, a prefect that year, led the way to the Gryffindor dorms. It was extremely strange to see Draco walking around in this part of the castle, even more so to see him in the Gryffindor Common Room instructing First Years – but when we reached the Sixth Year Boys dorms, I almost lost it completely.   
  
Draco had plopped down on a bed off to the left of the room while directing me to the bed between his and Ron's, ours being the two middle ones in a group of six. The room had been rearranged in a way to accommodate six occupants instead of the five I was used to. Seamus, Neville, and Dean joined us in due time, and once they were all gathered Draco explained the situation.  
  
"Seamus," he started, eyeing the blonde, "Dean, Neville. I don't know if anyone's told you this yet, but I believe you need to be told; Harry lost his memory over the summer and hasn't gotten it back yet. Harry," he asked, turning towards me, "You DO know who these people are, right?"  
  
I rolled my eyes, "Seamus Finnigan, who has a Ph.D. in flirting. Dean Thomas, soccer fan extraordinaire. Neville Longbottom, owner of Trevor the Toad. Of course I do, Draco."  
  
Neville grinned, "That's the only thing you know me by?"  
  
I shrugged, "I've known you for five years now, I could probably tell what color underwear you're wearing. Green, because it's your Gran's favorite color."  
  
Neville eyed me curiously, "Why would I care about Gran's favorite color? I only see her for the holidays."  
  
"But…" I raised an eyebrow, suddenly extremely curious as to where this was going, "Who do you live with then?"  
  
Neville grinned, "Who do you think, Harry? My Mum and Pop, of course!"  
  
At this point, I didn't know what to make of the whole situation. I was extremely happy Neville wasn't an almost-orphan in this world – it seemed to give the both of us parents. I was also about to burst from surprise, hearing what I had just heard and knowing that in my memories, Neville's parents were in the mental ward of St. Mungo's.  
  
"R-really?" I managed to choke out, giving Neville a grin, "That's terrific, Neville."  
  
Seamus raised an eyebrow my way, "I'm a flirt?"  
  
I shrugged, "Apparently, why?"  
  
He eyed me for a moment, his blue eyes glaring at me, "News to me."  
  
There was a sudden tension in the room as everyone fell silent. I shifted around on my bed uncomfortably for a moment, trying not to meet Seamus' gaze, when I suddenly heard him chuckling. Looking up, I saw the broad, toothy grin on his face I was so used to seeing.  
  
"Good to see you're still as gullible as ever, mate," Seamus grinned, high-fiving Dean and turning back to his trunk to unpack his clothing.  
  
"You mean…?" I asked silently, starting up at Draco with a confused look in my eyes, "What?"  
  
He grinned, "Seamus is not only a flirt, but the best prankster since your father and Sirius Black, Harry. I would have thought that wouldn't have changed."  
  
I sighed, falling back onto my bed and laughing, "I take it I'm going to be the butts of many jokes for a while, yes?"  
  
Draco nodded, "Of course, Harry."  
  
I stayed silent for a moment, listening to everyone unpack as I took in the reality of the situation. Draco Malfoy was in the bed next to me – a bed we had actually… done something in. I shuddered at the thought, recalling the one memory I had of this world before my sixteenth birthday. A thought suddenly occurred to me as I thought about Hogwarts a bit more, realizing something I had heard earlier.  
  
"Draco," I asked, not knowing why I was asking Draco and not Ron, "Didn't someone say Professor Lupin wasn't a teacher? And Professor Snape, for that matter – yet they were both at the High Table tonight. What's up with that?"  
  
He shrugged, "They've always been teachers, Harry, I really don't know what you're talking about. Someone may have fed you bad information or something, I really couldn't say."  
  
I sighed, getting up and changing clothes with record speed, "I could have sworn Remus said… And I thought Mum or Dad said something about Snape working for the Ministry."  
  
"You must have dreamt it," Draco insisted, crawling into his own bed, "Snape and Lupin have been teachers here ever since God knows when – since your Mum's days, I'd expect."  
  
I sighed, closing my eyes as Seamus and Neville, who were nearest the candles, blew them out, "Goodnight, everyone."  
  
I got four mumbled replies and a snore as a reply – the snore being from Ron, who had already fallen asleep.  
  
"Home," I whispered softly to myself, "Thank you God, home."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**AllAboutMe: **I'm going, I'm going. Hope you liked the chapter!  
  
**Anakah: **...does your screen name mean the Egyptian symbol of life? Hmm, just curious. Thank you!  
  
**Anie: **Thank you! :o) I'm glad you liked it.  
  
**Artemis-chan: **Harry definitely wasn't feel secure with his family. Hogwarts, to him, is where he's most comfortable - therefore, in this story, he considers it his home. He IS starting to believe his past was just a vision - and it'll stay that way for quite a while, actually. He'll just pass everything he did off as a dream. Yeah... I try to get certain scenes to strive for, but for this one it's the end. *sigh* :o) Hope your story goes well! Heh, tell your sister I said hi - it's always nice to know people are being updated :o)  
  
**Arwen Undomiel: **How's this for an update? I'm sorry it's so short, I'll try to make it longer next time, ok? :o)  
  
**Ashley: **There'll be more Harry and Draco - but it won't last. Sorry :o) A few more scenes, then it'll be over.  
  
**Bill Weasley:** I'm glad you liked it! Thanks :o)  
  
**Christy Corr:** It'll all be over soon, I promise. Harry and Draco may have one or two more encounters, just for the sake of shock, but it'll be over... I like this world too :o)  
**  
****Deely Bopper the Queen of all potatoes. my followers of Idaho, land of the holy spud where they shall be cut and sliced into delicious 'Wise' potatoe chips. Dim-Luup Sum has given me the power of Rabid Crayons I am Omnipotent: **Well, you DEFINITELY win for longer screen name! Nah, Mister Bears don't suck - quite the opposite, really, but thanks for the support, I really appreciate it. :o) I'm glad you like this story! Thanks again.  
  
**Denise: **Thank you! Yeah, some things are wrong on purpose, many things aren't explained on purpose - you'll find out why in the end of the story. I'm sure some people have an idea already, but... This story won't be moved any time soon, I already lost 340 reviews for it, I'm not about to lose 120. Thanks again!  
  
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**Erin Bennett:** Thank you - and yes, that's just one of those things that will be explained at the end of the story. Thanks again!  
  
**Evil Green Jello: **Heh, thanks! I'm glad you liked it.  
  
**IncubusSuccubus: **I'm sorry, I know this one's short as well - I'll try to make the next chapter longer. They're all at least a page, I promise you that.  
  
**Jayde: **I like your new story - the one you posted just a few days ago? It's good. I don't like Americanized Potter fic either, to be honest. Yeah, you're right - Potter's British and it really should stay that way. It seems wrong any other way. :o) Thank you as well!   
  
**Jimi: **Yep, one more encounter - two, max - is all I'm asking for. I've got something planned that, in the ship sense, may just make you very happy. And you're welcome :o)  
  
**JLBgirl: **Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! :o)  
  
**Kaylin: **I am, I am! Thank you :o)  
  
**Klee: **It's ok, what if I said there's gonna be a little H/D in Save Yourself? Would you go over then? :o)   
  
**Lady Leah:** I'm glad you joined :o) Eh, I got accused of plagiarism - it's over though. I didn't want to jeopardize my other major stories, on LanaMariah - Least Likely of All, mainly - so I switched Sixteen Candles to this SN. Add these reviews to about 340 and you'll have the amount. Thanks.  
  
**lily: **They'll get together a few more times, don't worry. It will end though - and for a reason. I won't say anymore though :o)  
  
**Liz Skywalker:** Hey you, I've got a bone to pick. Update A Darker Destiny, it's a great story. Yeah, Dumbledore's related - somehow. :o) I don't really even know yet, to be honest. I can't decide. *shrug* Thanks again!  
  
**Maab: **Thank you, I'm glad you like it.  
  
**Mare: **I'm terribly glad you found it again, you have no idea :o) You did VERY well, thank you! Barbie is definitely a slut - is Kelly her daughter or her little sister? I never did get that right. Heh, hope you didn't hit the tree too hard :o)  
  
**Nagini: **Heh, thank you!! :o)  
  
**pawn of fate:** Thank you, I really like your stories as well - when are you gonna finish that... one... story? God, lemme look it up. Invisible? It's a good one.  
  
**Polyre: **Yeah, I know you rock in Religion. You ARE the first reviewer - great job! LOL. Elizabeth and Goyle, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G... Would you prefer a three way with Crabbe and Goyle or Goyle and Megan? I'll let you decide. Future plot device, you see. *G*  
  
**Quack Quack 88: **Hey you! How you been? Harry/Ginny is possibly THE most annoying ship out there. Nah, if everyone hates you for voicing your opinion, they're not worth your time. Gawd, I know - I'm surprised I haven't gotten people requesting Harry/Ginny yet. I *HATE* them with a passion. I'm not a big Ginny fan in the least. Harry's gonna be one of those people who just stays single - unless it's with Draco, of course, but I doubt J.K. Rowling would do that . Ya never know though :o)  
  
**Silverfox: **Yeah, things ARE a bit too perfect - wonder why? Remus is off somewhere, no one knows. :o) Thanks!  
  
**The Silver Star:** Thank you! I'm glad you like it. Heh, yeah, thinking about sexy!Draco when you've got a boyfriend is NOT a good idea :o)  
  
**Tiger Lily: **Peter's a Death Eater - the DADA teacher is Remus, even though he's not supposed to be one ... it'll all get explained eventually, I promise. I think I may have read your fic, but I'll check and reread it if I haven't. I'm glad you like this story, thank you! Hope the men in the white coats weren't too harsh - I paid them to be nice.  
**  
****Tidmag is studying please remain quiet shhhhhhhhh: **Gambit... interesting. Awesome. :o) I honestly wouldn't normally think anyone stole anything, but she lied about reading my story - that bothered me. She's extremely egotistical as well, and that REALLY bothers me. He's not going to regret his wish - quite the opposite, really. I can honestly, 100% say this story isn't a dream. Thanks again!  



	21. Chapter Twenty-One

**Chapter Twenty-One**  
  
  
A bit of Snape and Harry moment in this one...  
  
  
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The next day was our first of the semester. I awoke as the sunlight streamed through the window, thinking perhaps I had indeed returned to my own world and had woken up from a bitter-sweet dream. However, as I turned over and found myself face-to-face with Draco, I sighed quietly and got up to dress.  
  
"G'morning, Harry," Draco slurred sleepily as he sat up in his own bed, rubbing his eyes and running a hand through his long strands of hair. "Why're you up so early? It's not even eight yet."  
  
"I wanted to take a shower before breakfast," I lied, tying my scarlet and gold tie around my neck. "I'll meet you down in the Great Hall for breakfast in a half hour."  
  
I left before Draco could ask me any more questions, descending down the winding staircase into the Common Room that was so familiar, yet so very different. Without a second glance, I made my way through the portrait and into the halls of the just-waking castle.  
  
As I walked through the nearly deserted halls, I looked around with utter amazement. While I had been an orphaned student, the halls seemed so damp and dark. Now that my mother and father were alive, whether I was dreaming or unconscious, the bricks seemed to shimmer with magic from the very core of the stones.   
  
I stopped on a landing of a staircase on the second floor, sitting in a wide stone windowsill to watch the sun rise gracefully over the Forbidden Forest. I sat there for what must have been at least a quarter of an hour before I felt a hand on my shoulder, making me jump at least three inches in the air.  
  
"What are you doing here, Harry?" a deep, warm voice asked me. I slowly turned around, my eyes wide with surprise.  
  
"Just watching the sun rise," I replied quietly, looking into the—into the unbitter eyes of Professor Snape. No matter how many times I spoke with him, the change in his demeanor still surprised me quite a bit. It simply wasn't something I was used to as of yet.  
  
"A worthy pastime," he nodded in appreciation. "I was just coming down from seeing your mother. We talked about you quite a bit, and she was worried you weren't going to be able to get along with your friends as well as you had before. Have you experienced any sort of troubles in that area?"  
  
I shook my head slowly, almost unwilling to release the information to my once most hated professor. "I get along with everyone just as I did before, although some of their situations are a bit different."  
  
"Oh?" Professor Snape questioned me, raising his eyebrow in an almost amused and tolerating manner. "Such as?"  
  
"Neville Longbottom," I answered cautiously. "His parents aren't insane."  
  
Snape blinked in poorly masked surprise. "Why, pray tell, would they be insane?"  
  
"The Crucio Curse," I shrugged. "In the… in the world I remember, I suppose, his parents were tortured by Voldemort and went insane. Neville lived with his grandmother for almost his entire life, and was almost deemed a Squib—is he as awful in potions as he was before?"  
  
"Well, I'm not altogether sure how awful he was before, but I can assure you, he is worse." Snape smiled, a rare look of humor—or perhaps not so rare—gracing his pale, but not unhealthily so, features. "He is adequate in each of his other subjects, however, and excels greatly in Herbology."  
  
"Good," I nodded firmly. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."  
  
We were silent for a moment as the Sun rose steadily through the trees, making the leaves look as if they were on fire. I shuddered as an early-morning cool breeze ran through the window, bringing a draft onto the landing.  
  
"Shall I suggest, Harry, that you and I escort each other into the Great Hall for breakfast? It's nearly half-past, and if you wish to eat something before your first lesson of the day…"  
  
I nodded mutely and hopped off of my perch, following the tall dark man down the staircase and through various halls until we reached the large foyer, where many students were gathered, greeting friends in high, happy voices as they slowly streamed in to eat their first of what was to be many breakfasts at Hogwarts that year.  
  



End file.
